After-school Sessions and Jelly Beans
by 13pisces
Summary: Post Season 4. A boy in the very familar room of D. Linda Martin's office trying to make sense of his situation. Chloe looking for ways to meet Lucifer after he left for Hell. [LxC]
1. After-school Sessions and Jelly Beans

Chapter 01: **After-School Sessions and Jelly Beans**

It should be one of the many sessions that they used to have.  
Just like before.  
She would ask him questions about his daily activities in school.  
Like how to deal with classmates in a more proper and civil way and how to respond to their school children tricks.

Children have these different kinds of playground.  
At different ages, at different stages.  
It is only a matter of how you teach them to deal with it as long as there has been no physical contact or abuse of that kind.

She knows, aside from having her own experiences with her son, she knows as it is part of her profession.

However, it can't be helped, that this session of theirs seems to be different.

Yes, he answers, as he always does.  
Asks questions in response, to inquire if the actions that he will take will be proper and right. All the while, reminding him of reeling in his emotions and be smart about in such situations.

He is a smart boy, indeed. A good thing he does not, not even once, misinterprets her advice during their sessions. He is growing.

"Can I ask you a different question?" He politely inquires. This raises an eyebrow in her inner thoughts. Indeed, he has asked questions before but this one pertains to something not somehow related to their current discussions. She can feel it.

"Yes, you may." Placing the journal and pen beside her at the table, she continues. "What is it about?"

The boy looks in the floor, staring at the carpet work between his shoes. It has been a very long time since they have surpassed that part during his sessions. During his 9th year, about two years now since they have started after the incident happened.

She can see that he was hesitant at first and was about to ask him-

"Why... wh – ..." He falters yet gathers his courage to ask after a big lungful of breath.  
"Why is he gone? Where-?" He stops. Remembering that he promised his mother not to ask.

Though his 10th birthday is only a couple of weeks from now, he is still a child. Same as her own, though hers was a year older. Her son used to ask him those same questions too and she can answer him to the best that she can. But his was a lot different. He does not know it yet.

"Remember that when we started these sessions," she paused while looking him in his eyes and very carefully, "we both agreed that we should not talk about that yet?" Aside from the part that his mother had asked it first.

The boy nods. His beating heart slowly calms down. Linda can feel the mixture of anger and confusion forming in him.

"It was because you are not ready yet." The same way his son has been. They need to slowly have them both mentally ready. They are children after all.

"Your mother and I have agreed not to tell you until you are old enough to understand." She waits until the boy leans back on the sofa as if he had already heard these lines before.

"Know this, for I am sure that it is true. Your father loves you." The boy looks at her despite his sad and frustrated eyes.

"But why is he not here? With us and my mother?" Anger slowly boils down in his stomach. He wants to glare, she could tell, but he could only convey sadness in his eyes. She remembers the same feeling coming around from a particular patient that she has, albeit, a different kind of anger.

"I know, and I cannot give you the answer to that." She continues. "But I know for certain, that he is trying, in his very best, to find a way to be back home to you and your mother. And if he can, he would always have wanted to be with you both."

She continues to study the face of the child. Though he has the colour of his mother's hair, his face is starting to resemble his father's which will be more observable come his 15th year or so.

"He would have wanted to stay with you, you know. Since the day you were born."

At that, the boy proceeds to look at the potted plants by the windowsill. He notices a white feather rested in there but dismisses it.

"Don't worry Sam," he calls the boy's attention back to her, "just be patient and wait until your mother can tell you, okay? Everything will be fine." She assures him, yet she is unsure herself until when he should be kept in the dark.

"Do you believe it?" He asks again.

"Believe what?" She feigns.

"That he loves us and is trying his best to come back?" He answers, trying not to let a tear fall down his cheek.

"Yes, I do, for I know him and his love for your mother. He promised to come back and I believe in him that he will. We all are, and we are also still waiting for him." His face starts to ease a bit. She wonders now if his mother tells him about his father's love for them.

"My mother keeps telling me that too, I just am..."

"Samael," breaking his thoughts, she continues, "Try sending a prayer to the angel of your namesake. Maybe your thoughts can be conveyed?" She tries, hoping not to give away too much.

Hearing his real name used always surprised him a lot. Even from those people close to him. He was always introduced as "Sam" since the day he can remember. He only actually learned that his real name was not actually "Sam" when he started school and has been the receiving end of confused looks from his teachers and other adults since then. His mother occasionally uses them, always with this inexplicable emotion in her eyes. But she tries to smile. Always.

"But Auntie Linda! That was the Devil's name!" He exclaims, forgetting his composure. Apart from hearing the first time a suggestion of sending a prayer for his father, to which was very, _very_, surprising for him coming from someone of her profession, it was also kind of annoying and confusing for him as he was not a religious person. Not even in his family (though the paternal grandparents of his older sister are one, but not _really_ them in the family!). Which also reminds him of his earlier reactions upon learning where his name has come from.

"Yes, but he was an Angel too, before – well, he did what he did." She continued cautiously. "He was the Angel who gave light in the darkness when the universe was being created, hence the name "Lightbringer". Creating the suns and the stars and constellations that are in our galaxy and the others." She said with a smile, trying not to give too much while also paving the way for him to not pay attention regarding the other details of his namesake.

"Aren't you thankful for that? Don't you like watching the millions of stars in the night skies?" She knew she sounded a bit off now, intermingling theology and astronomy. Hoping the boy won't be too smart enough and diss off her efforts. Oh, if he only knew.

"I love watching them, especially with mom. Sometimes she watches them happily with us, and sometimes, I hear her talking to them too." Strangely enough, the boy realizes it too.

"There is nothing wrong in trying." She says as she reaches for his arm. Hoping that he will understand somehow.

"Okay, Dr. Linda. I will try." He smiles and his attention was caught again by the moving curtain by the window. His thoughts were disrupted when a phone alarm went off. Their session is done.

"Okay, I guess that's for this one. Will your mom be over to pick you up?" She asks as she starts to put some final words on his notes.

"Um, she can't come today. She says, she had to do some lots of work before my birthday." The boy says while pulling the sleeves of his jacket.

"How about your sister, Trixie?"

"She's not here yet, but she will be on my birthday though. Will you and Charlie be there?" He continues, rummaging for something in his backpack.

"Of course, we will, Sam. Charlie would really love to. He is actually delighted because his father will be home by then too." She pauses, hoping she did not hurt the boy.

"Really! I want to see Uncle Amenadiel too!" To her surprise, he bursts out.

"Do you want me to call you a – " She stops as a knock on the door was heard followed by Maze opening it.

"Hey there Champ! Ready to go home and do some lessons?" She beams at the child ruffling his wavy hair and smiles at Linda. Both knowing what the lessons were as it was also given to his son. Yes, there were things that he was not ready for, but it seems fit that he should be at for this. Though there is no knowledge of such lessons to his mother.

"Yep! But can we please drop by to the candy store? I want to get some jelly beans." He beams happily. Maze looks at Linda and gives a knowing smile. She acknowledges.

* * *

Dr. Linda Martin's patient note:

Case File 290219

Patient Name: Samael Morningstar-Decker

Age: 9 years old (currently)

Gender: Male

Final Notes:

Ready for Identity reveal. Must see his father first before that. Sessions must continue to control his growing powers and avoid another school incident.

Wings are yet to be visible.


	2. The Moon at Your Back

**Chapter 02: The Moon at Your Back**

That night was supposed to be warm, yet she remembers the breeze as cold.  
On that balcony.  
The view could be said, as picturesque too. The evening city being alive and breathing. Beautiful, along with the bright full moon glaring behind his back.

But the beauty of it all is lost to her. She cannot care for now.

"Please don't go. I..." She begs, yet she is unsure if she can hear the next sentences that she said herself now. If this question should be really asked at him. For, at that moment, she knew he made up his mind too.

She can't hear the string of words he was saying too, for all she can see was his face. Her beating heart is shouting louder in her ears. Repeating the words for her to say. For him to stay.

"...It always has been."

She would have clung to him. To stop him from stepping away. But she cannot find it in herself to be selfish now. Now that the safety of millions is at stake. She was a person of the Law after all.

So, she lets his sleeves slip in her hand as he withdraws his palm from her face and steps back.

Then he releases his wings.  
It was beautiful. The glow of the moon shines perfectly on them. The sight somehow calms her. Oh, the way she used to laugh about them when he was insistent to put an APB alert on it during one of their cases. She can't laugh about them now.

It saddens her more.

A gust of wind and he is gone.

* * *

The next couple of days, Detective Chloe Decker can be seen sat at her office chair rummaging through a lot of files. She goes to the field to look up at some cases, too. Like the workaholic that she was.

Nobody asks her where her partner is at. If anybody did, it was in the form of a very concerned Ella or the very pissed Dan (he wants to ask him why he would leave too, well, after he found her in her home crying herself out when he was to pick-up Trixie).

But they didn't know. She cannot answer truthfully.

"He is back to the job that his father has originally assigned him." She answers them one day. The second job actually, she hears herself.

"But he said he is not fond of that?! Like not at all!" Ella exclaims. A very different perspective on her part considering how she is with family ties and customs. "Can't he just properly resign or just decline at all?" She continues.

"Is he not happy here with us?" Now, with that other question, whatever excuse she was trying to make for Lucifer was lost in her thought. Seeing the mood change in Chloe's face, Ella finally tones down. After all, it was she who was left by her partner. But still.

"Don't worry Ella, he has a very heavy but good reason to do so." She supplies.

"At least he was able to say goodbye to you properly. He did though, right?" Very hopeful that they did really have proper communication about their feelings too because these two are just as tricky as identifying a sample from a disturbed crime scene for forensic analysis.

"Yes. We did...talked." At that, her phone beeps and she quickly reaches for it and reads the message. "I'm sorry, Ella, but I have to get this." She then excuses herself and leaves the precinct.

Ella Lopez, however, thinks that it was a very anticipated message from her Lucifer Morningstar. It was never a dull moment when he was with them. She then proceeds to go on her lab analysis for the case files dumped to her. She really needs another Forensic analyst in the lab.

* * *

Another set of weeks have gone by and they see Chloe buried in a lot of files by her table. It is a sight to be impressed at for juniors and seniors alike in their precinct. But to those working closely with her on cases, it is a curiosity. One, yes, she still has a good number of arrest and closure rates along with Dan. But there were days that there just seems to be of little cases to be solved. Only minor crimes have been processed lately. No BIG case at all. Two, she is always done with the required reports whenever a case is closed. And this was one of those days. A downtime. So why the dumpsite appearance at her table?

"Maybe she is following a lead on some old cases...?" Ella tells Dan as they both look at their friend. Well, she kinda knows it is not the reason too, deep down. Dan only stares in mild agitation. Clenching and unclenching his jaws.

"Well, let's just hope that she is not tracking Lucifer. She mentioned once, that his job was dangerous." He says, continuing his observations.

"What do you even mean?! Like... is his family a mafia? A cartel?" Ella with her imaginations running wild now. "How could he not tell us?"

"What? No! Not that kind!" He answers to the very surprising reasons she just enumerated.

"Then, what is it then?" She looks at him as if he had an idea too.

"I don't know! She won't tell me. Maze won't tell me. Even his very own brother won't say. He has been coming and going these days, too." He even once tried to tail both Maze and Amenadiel but they're just better at evading and sneaking than him. An information not needed to be passed to both Ella and Chloe.

They continued their observations. It was lunchtime after all.

A curiosity indeed, as, in one of the many papers and folders shuffled in there, buried were a couple of books or two. With a very heavy binding and is seemingly old and ancient in appearance. If only those two were to look closely.

* * *

"I found it." She opens up not even before he can finish sitting in the chair.  
He gives her a look. She did good hiding the tiredness in her face.

"Chloe, have you been sleeping since..." He trails. Not sure if he wants to know what she had found. He somehow fears her findings.

"I am fine. I just..." At that, she closes her eyes and gathers her composure.  
"I have found the site which is said to be a gate or portal or whatever to-"

He raises his hands to stop her, understanding what she wants to say. She stops and finds herself breathing heavily.

"How did you know that such a place exists? There could have been no place on earth that has a record of it." He asks her.

Despite of getting angry about what she just heard from Amenadiel for keeping such information, she decided to continue. But the aggravation is reflected in her eyes clearly, and Amenadiel now seems to regret not telling her soon.

"First, there are forums, on the internet. Even in the Church of Satan or Lucifer or Baphomet (whatever), they have-"

"W-w-wait a minute! You went to the Church of Satan?!" He finds himself surprised while asking (and people in the cafe looking at their direction. In one corner of the room, a couple of customers in black were somehow happy with the outburst). To which Chloe just gave him an exasperated look.

"Well, if you only told me, I wouldn't have to." She was trying to be calm. "But the data I found in them were conflicting, or not conclusive at all. So, I went to a better source and started reading in his library-"

"Of course, you'd go to the penthouse and look or investigate."  
_Lucifer, you narcissistic idiot!_ He hopes he can hear that from where he was perched.

"Look, Chloe... please, whatever it is you are planning, you have to stop it now. It is dangerous, and it could cost you your life. It is against the rules. Even, if I am to point out that it was the right place, I still can not allow you." He stares at her, observing the forming emotions in her face and before she can utter a response he continues.

"Lucifer...Lucifer would not want you to."

It was unfair.

For him to use his brother's wishes like this against her.

_"Do not let her follow, Brother."_ He once asked before he left him in the penthouse after the elevator dinged, knowing it was her.

He could feel her staring at him with all of her might. Knowing that it is not fair for him to do so. She tries to utter some words but she cannot find them.

"I just, I just want to see him." She pleads. Unsure if it was to him, to herself, or to Lucifer. At that, she clasps her hands together and puts them in her forehead.

She is tired.

"I know. Please take a rest, Chloe. You badly needed it. You would not want your daughter worrying about you." He knows they were dirty tricks to use against her. But he also promised his brother to look after her whenever he can. He wonders now if he should also suggest to her to see Linda. But that might be taking it too far on his part.

After he drops her by at her doorstep, he decides to give him a breeze of his power. A Miracle that she is, he hoped that it could somehow take effect on her. A small release of power to calm her nerves and let her sleep properly for once since that evening.

He needs to form a plan. But first, he must talk to Mazikeen.

* * *

**A/N:**

Hello all! Thank you for the nice reviews and welcome to this new chapter!

I was unsure at first if this fits as the second chapter as some of you requested for the prayer scene already but when I was drafting the chapter that you anticipated, the song All I Want by Stonefox came by my playlist and my mind just kept switching on this scene. (I should actually be writing about my report, but I guess I can spare a day since there is a holiday here).

There was also the issue of the scene being used already on the fics that I have read so far regarding the season-ending. Somehow, there seems to be none yet that have had the same stuff/lines/POV that I used here. I also find this part important in order to lay the groundwork regarding how this boy came to be.

Furthermore, If there are among you, dear authors/readers that already have had, please know that it was coincidental and I've no intention to plagiarise. The specific lines used on the initial part of this chapter were obviously taken from the episode.

Anyways, I kind of anticipated the season's ending happening just did not get it right about the location. I was betting it was during the Club/church scene with those zombie reference. lol

Lastly, I apologize for the typos in the first chapter, a bad proof reading on my part. This is, however, my first published story here as I was a reader first since 2013 (?, I think). I have some stories written for a different fandom but I just can't get my head around the layout clearly, so it has been an on and off relationship there since.

I also just realized my mistake regarding this story's title. The After-school Sessions and Jelly Beans was supposed to be the sole title for the first chapter. but since this story will somehow revolve about Sam, then I guess, it should just stay as the story's title. *Did not navigate properly on the settings*

I hope you were all accepting of the name I decided for the boy.

I Would also like to point out that his anger was not about his Father at all, it was about his situation because he cannot fully comprehend it. He was being kept in the dark about it.

Enjoy!


	3. Sharing Ice Creams & Playing Castlevania

**Chapter 03: Sharing Ice Creams and Playing Castlevania**

"Is it true that you used to play with my Father when you were younger?" He asks, hoping there is no observable jealousy in his tone.

The question is not really supposed to be unusual for her to hear. I mean, she always tells him of the fun activities that she used to have with her second-best playmate (currently sinking in third or fifth) when she was younger. She never dared to hide those stories away from him even when he was just born, as she has been very excited that time until he can ask it for himself.

She and their mother would always tell him those stories. And also, to remind him that his father loves them very much. That he loves him very much.

To say that she was shocked when her mother and Lucifer explained to her come one evening from an outing, was a blatant lie. She was about 11 then, and all she could shout was a joyful:  
_"For real?! I knew there was something special in you!"  
_Somehow, the adults decided that she have not clearly understood what they were saying.

_So, they started with the basic details there is to know about the Devil, and telling her strictly not to tell anybody and not to do anything that is related to evil! But when they moved to the part where he was still called Samael and the reason as to why, she just jumped around in delight with those big brown eyes and button nose of hers._

_"Can I see them?" She inquires at him excitedly.  
__"Please?" Clasping her hands now.  
__He looks at her mother as if to seek her permission and she nods. He then slowly unfolds his wings, kneels then turns his back to the child for her to clearly see them._

_"Where are you hiding them? Is there a magic pocket behind your shirt?" She asks inquisitively. Which releases a mirthful response from them both._

_It is surprising how a child responds to such knowledge. Maybe because they have been friends first? That she was a child of a Miracle herself? Or that was just her personality? They would like not to think any more about that for they are past their fear of her reaction or rejection._

"Of course, we did! Have I not told you about that before?" She jokes, surely, she did tell him. But she can sense a tinge of jealousy now, unlike before. She throws a Cheeto at his forehead for him to come out of his thoughts.

Then proceeds to finish off his character with a killer combo.  
Ha! This round was hers!

"I won!" She declares.  
"But you cheated!" He counters.  
"Excuses, excuses." She responds. Not acknowledging her trick. "I won, dear Sammy because you were not paying attention. And that was the final round."

"Okay, okay. Let me get my bag first to grab some money." He proceeds to where his bag was and rummages into it.  
"Don't worry, I'll teach you that combo next round." She replies while standing up and clearing their mess.

They knew it was still cold in their area during these months but it can't be helped. She once learned in her chemistry class that a system sometimes needs to equilibrate to the surroundings.  
Her stomach, the system.  
Their current season, the surroundings.  
Thus, to the ice cream parlour, they go, a few blocks away from theirs. She won't be taking him to those coffee shops or boba tea corners now. He is 9 and has no business on being in such areas. But for now, he pays, since he lost the game.

Their rule.

Sitting by the glass wall, he was the first one to finish his serving. Watching him gulp them down with astonishment, forgetting he was annoyed at her for cheating.

A boy with a wavy blonde hair talking to a young woman with a fishtail braid and a few strips of violet to pinkish tint on her hair. Where, the people passing by, can't help but stare at his direction. Even some people inside were staring at them.

An unlikely appearance as siblings? Not really.  
They did not notice though.

"You chilled now?" She asks, pun intended. He's smart, he gets it. He rolls his eyes at her but smiles at the end.  
"So. How was school, Sam?" She continues.  
"Good. We were introduced to Greek mythology. You? Was college that bad? You look really old." He responds.  
"And he is back to his old self. Chilled indeed." She replies to the slight attack. It was normal for them to roast each other since she taught him. Sometimes, though, their mom does not approve. He was 7 that time.  
"Just you wait till you get there too and we will see about it, bud."

It was quiet for a while between them. Then he speaks.  
"Do you, sometimes...pray for him to...like, you know, return home?" He asks, shyly. Though he should not be.

"What do you mean?" Not because she finds it offending, she had not been a religious person, to begin with though. It was just unusual for him to ask. Now, she notices there has been a lot of unusual words coming off the mouth of his little brother lately.

"Dr. Linda said in our session last time to try sending a prayer for Dad to my namesake." He says, looking down at the spoon and tracing the handle's design by his fingers.

She stares at him, knowing full well that he was upset. Who wouldn't be? His father was either a joyful topic for him or a sensitive one. He can't even know his father's real name. It was agreed by everyone who knew - even her, back then, she was made to take an oath. And she intends to keep it until he was ready and everything will be fine.

Sometimes it hurts her whenever he asks when he was just a toddler. There was a time that he just sputtered at them if he was an actor or someone in the industry. They laughed at that and their mother told him that he was far more important. Which of course, confuses his thought process, then was covered by their distraction. Good thing he did not develop those wits yet that he has now, back when he was five.

Though funny as it is, his name came directly from him.

"What will you say? If you're going to send one?" She asks anyway. She has not thought of it. Though she used to call his name in her head many times and tries to talk to him about her daily activities when she was in her teenage years. She's not sure though if it could be counted as prayers. Thinking about that, she can't clearly recall when or why she stopped.

"Do I need to go to church when I do?" He asks innocently.  
Digressing.  
He looked too serious for his age, but the knitting of his blond eyebrows on his forehead covered by his wavy bangs and a patch of ice cream on his lips dispels it.

Probably not a good idea.

_First_, she does not know how their _kind_ reacts to such premises. Not that there are many children of the fallen angel that she knows of in here, and then there's the demonkind like Maze. Besides, his father was the only fallen angel that she knows of. She just did not care to bother googling for others at all. _Second_, she has no intention of seeing her brother being burn into a crisp or whatsoever – if she can help it. And _third_, she really just has no idea at all. No manual came with him when he was born. Everything was experimental and there have been the only observations recorded by Dr. Linda since they had their sessions after the incident and Charlie was an entirely different case.

She probably wanted to laugh at her thoughts, but just shakes it off. Not wanting to hurt him.

"Does it matter?" Yeah, right, who was she kidding?  
"If you say it by your heart, strongly, maybe it will reach him?" Oh, why didn't their mother taught him about it already? Was she even the right person for him to ask this? She doubts herself now.

He begins thinking deeply now.

She then proceeds to wipe the ice cream off his face.

Her phone vibrates and proceeds to read the message.  
"Mom's home. We need to get back." She makes her way to the counter to pay but he calls out to her about it.  
"It's fine, Sam. I only get to see you rarely these days and you've grown a bit taller since then." A lie, says his growth chart by the kitchen wall.  
"Don't worry, I will let you treat me when you come to visit me at my university, okay?" After all, she cheated in the game.

"Can I buy another one? Want to bring some for Mom." He asks so.  
"Okay, kiddo. Just hurry up. I know you have lots of homework to catch up to."  
"How'd you found out?" He asks. Busted.  
She shows the message sent by their Mother. Along with the evidence of their gaming session.

"Ugh! I wanted to play Castlevania for a bit before dinner." He exclaims disappointedly.  
"Maybe if you started with homework when you arrived from school instead of asking for a round with me in Tekken, then you could still do your favourite game for tonight." She reprimands.

"Don't worry, I'll help you with some of them." She promises.  
"No thanks, last time you did, I gathered a lower grade for that." He quips.  
"What low grade? I remembered it was an A!" She responds, racking her memory of that time.  
"No, it was a B+, and I always had an A or A+!" He argues to his sister while taking the bag from the crew.  
"Why, you little!" She tries to ruffle his hair, but he ducks and proceeds to run outside.

"Let's go! Mom's waiting, I don't want this to melt!"  
She follows, smiling at her brother.

"How were your lessons with Maze so far?" She asks after catching up with him. Fixing his beanie and jacket properly for him while walking.  
Of course, she knew. She was the first student after all.

"Mom almost caught us the last time. Good thing she was called back to the office when Auntie Maze was starting to brew up some excuse." He replies while laughing and scratching his nose.  
"Brew? Are you drinking coffee with Maze?" She accuses. She knows it's true now since he just used the same word that got her busted to her mom too.  
"Ugh... Tea?" He tells her. Feeling that he will have an earful when she snitches him on their mother.

Knowing that his brother does not lie, she believes that it is tea. But she will let him have a little panic first, thinking that she will tell their Mom on his caffeine escapades. Or, it could just serve as another blackmail material for him.

* * *

**A/N: Before you proceed to a BONUS chapter. I would like to apologize.**

I actually finished this earlier (like after the 2nd) but I had to postpone uploading because I have a deadline this Friday. The current episode of Game of Thrones also just came out that time. I need to soak in watching it. I was quite happy because my foresight regarding the episode was close.

I also need to prepare for the next chapter before uploading this one. SO, to make-up with you guys, HERE IS THE BONUS CHAPTER. :D

* * *

**Bonus:**

The front door opens and the boy rushes straight to the kitchen, knowing full well that his mother is there preparing for their dinner and leaving her sister behind at the door.

"Hi there, Sa-" After putting the bag on the counter, he just decides to rush to his mother and hugs her lovingly.

Trixie finds them like this when she arrives at the kitchen.

"You're still doing that? What are you, five?" She teases, though she did that until she was 15.

Their Mother just laughs it off and places her son's face between her palms. Looking at his hazel eyes.  
"What's wrong?" She asks playfully.  
"Nothing." He replies. "It was just cold outside."  
Knowing that her son does not lie, she believes. And he was really just using her as a heater.

"It's because you were not wearing your jacket properly dum-dum." His sister supplies.  
He was about to reply but she quickly cut him off and asked Trixie to check the sauce she was making.  
"What have you got there?" She continues. Brushing his wavy bangs to the side of his forehead and plants a kiss there.

"It's a Caramel, Brownies, and Nuts Overload. Your favourite. I hope they were not a goo already." He says while opening the bag and picking up the cup for her.

"Thank you, Samael! Just the thing I've been looking for a while." She gives a good look at the cup.  
"Hmm, it is indeed, starting to melt. Let's put this on the fridge first. I have to finish making dinner."

When her son was working on homework after dinner, she was with him by the table and was checking on some files while Trixie was upstairs doing some school work of her own. Seeing that her son was in need of a break as he has started to glare on his homework already, she remembers the ice cream bought for her.

"Hey, wanna grab some snack?" She interrupts his thoughts. The boy looks at her and bobs his head. Chloe then proceeds to where the ice cream was and sits down closer to her son. They slowly start to pick on the ice cream.

She can only laugh at how her son thinks. She was not particularly fond of the flavour but she can tolerate it. She was more on the fruity scale. Maybe, it was because, it was the usual kind that she stocks in the fridge for herself and was the one that he could only remember, aside from the ones personally hand-picked by Trixie or him. Or maybe, sometimes, he would wake up in the mornings and find an empty cup of the flavour from their local brand by the sink, wondering why he was not invited to the feast during the evenings. Or he could just sense randomly, that she wants to have a serving of such flavour every once in a while.

It was _His_ favourite.

She was the one who suggested the Caramel and Brownies type one evening when they were hanging out on his loft. She was particularly surprised, as she had thought that all the wonders humanity could offer was already sampled by him. It was also then she realized that those wonders do not include simple treats that were specially designed for children and adults alike. That was also probably why the chocolate cake incident happened back then.

So, when he was able to try one, he exclaimed that it will be his new favourite sin. A sin, because he had decided to add a different kind of brownie in there, which also happens to be his _favourite_ type. And an ounce or two of rum. Thus, corrupting the innocence of the flavour that he had just discovered.

Good thing her son usually fails to notice that she would sometimes put an ounce or two in her servings whenever nights of nostalgia would wash over her.

She tries to keep her consumption at bay though.

* * *

According to Google (and I just found out about it too) Hazel eyes are not actually entirely brown (what I actually imagined before) but a brown and green (sometimes gold and green) in appearance!

I also modelled Trixie's hair to Lauren German's hairdo and that time it's pink or violet. Not really familiar with hair dyes. I have zero experience in that.

Anyways, feel free to review or pm me if you want to ask questions regarding this chapter.

Anyone want to pitch in for a story summary? I kinda sucked about the one I posted.

Thank you!

**Our deadline for the special project was moved to this Monday. And My calculations are still bonkers. I have to continue finding the problem to my input job. T_T***


	4. The 4th and 2nd Stages, and The Apogee

**Chapter 04: The Fourth and Second Stages, and The Apogee.**

They used to be in this scenario. Back when their marriage was in the early stages of its end. The staring and arguing among all the other words that were said or have not been.  
He always counters and she always just stay silent after seeing that it was pointless.

This time, though, is different.

"Dan, I need to go." She tells him again with a line of conviction hoping that he gets the need for her to leave.  
"Look, why would you do this?" He responds, not with jealousy no, he was far past that. Years ago.  
"I know you've been looking up on traces of Lucifer. But, why do this, huh?" He says. It really took him a while to realize what she has been up to. He just can't connect yet the dozier that she compiled regarding the ancient books that she had found. He was thinking she was after a cult case or was trying to throw him off in case he decides to poke around her table.

"I...I have to. Dan, please." Though she seemed to be begging, Dan sees it differently. He knows that look. She has decided.  
"The guy left you already! And here you are! Following clues leading to nowhere!" He says while waving his hand in the air.  
"God knows he might be really in a very dangerous business and you would still want to go look after him!" He lets it out. Her actions have been very concerning lately. And he is starting to get really pissed off at how she acts because of Lucifer. Still focused at work, but not to herself.

"I won't be gone for long." She says with her unwavering tone. He knows that one too.  
"I just have to see him. To see if he is okay." She is unsure if that would be enough of an assurance considering that there is a possibility of it being a one-way trip. Her weeks of research had finally come to fruition. She would not want Amenadiel to show up and stop her. She is so close now. She just needs to be _there_.

"I can't believe you're going to leave our daughter to go looking for that guy! Has he even called to see how you were?"  
At that, she slapped him, realizing it only too late. She was more shocked by the action than the facial muscles in Dan's face that were involved in the contact.

"Trixie has always been my priority, don't you ever dare to-" She snarls at him.  
"I'm sorry." He cuts her off, raising his hands. "I know, okay?" He adds.  
Dan really now realizes that she loves him. Despite all of his antics. And he couldn't even be more amazed.  
"I know, it is not my place anymore, but I am really just worried about you." He continues and she starts to calm down and looks away.

"It's just that, you have been acting off lately. Though you were good at hiding it, we know you better. Everyone's worried." He proceeds to sit down at the stool by the kitchen counter.  
"Look, if it helps you feel better, I can go with you. I will help you." At that, she turned to look at him.  
"No. Dan, I need you to be here for Trixie." She tells him. He drags her to sit at the adjacent stool.

"You really do love him, do you?" He asks, staring at her eyes. She slowly nods while looking down.  
"Chloe, you have been in this position many times. Please don't make the same choices that you did before. Though I used to be one in those that you had and believe me, I wasn't proud of that." At that, she gave a small smile.

He reaches out to hold her arm.

"Look, I will be here for you no matter what. I will support you. And I also cannot bear seeing you like this anymore. If this trip really could help you, then so be it. Just be very careful." He says sincerely and she was glad for his understanding. Though she has been quite dishonest about the nature of her travel.

"And when you find him, try dragging his ass back here in LA so that I can give him a piece of my mind." He adds jokingly, though with an intention to deliver a punch when he sees him.  
She hugs him thankfully.  
"I'll do the best I can." She says after the hug.

Repeating what Ella said before, he asks hoping to finally confirm the nature of their family business.  
"Is his family really on dangerous business? Like a mafia or a cartel? And that he wants out of it?" She gave him a funny look at that.  
"I cannot tell you yet, Dan. It has to be from him. But trust me, he is not fond of the job."

A knock was suddenly heard by the two. Standing up, Dan offers to open the door and finds Amenadiel and Maze.

"Hey, guys, what's up?" He asks Amenadiel.

"Is Chloe here?" He answers and Dan nods. Giving them berth as they both enter the house. He notices the unusual air carried off by the two.  
Returning to the kitchen counter where he left her, Dan informs her about the arrival of the two. Chloe looks up at them from some files she was scanning not bothering to keep them away. Dan could see the look on her face. Annoyed and clearly not expecting the two.  
Great, they are hiding something. He tells himself.

"Look if you're here to stop me, you can both leave." She starts with a defensive tone, Dan remarks.  
Maze, after looking around, also notices. She admits, she cannot bear what she has been doing to herself lately. So, she steps forward and stares at her. Really hard. Dan is confused now. But he readies himself.

"You're a mess, Chloe." She states the obvious. The words that were not being said to her by anyone at her face. A thing that she likes with Maze too, aside from her competing to act like a child with Trixie sometimes. You can count on her on being honest. Though it seems like a slap this time.

"We're not here for that, Chloe." Amenadiel supplies with a truce on his tone. Her brows start to knit with each other now.  
"Yeah, right. As if few days ago, YOU , were so intent on stopping me!" She says, crossing her arms on her chest.  
"I have to. Besides, with what you have been planning, it could not really end well for you." He counters.  
"That is the only way I know. The only one I found! And you have not been very helpful at finding it!" She hisses at him.

Dan, listening, was getting more confused.  
"Hey, Chloe. Calm down. I thought you were looking for leads on Lucifer?" He interjects.  
"Yes, she was, though her journey could be perilous. There is a chance she will not be able to return if she decides to pursue that route." Amenadiel answers looking at Dan.

"Okay. Okay. What is really going on?" He says, looking them in their eyes. Then facing Chloe.  
"I thought you'd just hop off in a plane to go to another state or country and return after you see him? Why do I get a feeling that it is somewhere farther and unreachable? Is he in, what...the arctic? Mars?" Now, he's pretty sure something was going on between these three.

"Look, Dan. If I'd tell you...About Lucifer...You." She pauses, considering her next words and looking at Amenadiel and Maze.  
"I wouldn't what?" He is starting to get annoyed now.  
"You wouldn't understand." She says finally.

"Look. I get it. With Lucifer, everything is just a weird combination of the weirdest shit one can ever think of or witness under the Sun. Honestly, I can give that to the guy. But, seriously, Chloe? What's not to be surprised or not understand about him?" He scoffs, looking at the three of them.

Maze is ready to grab for popcorns.

* * *

After laughing hysterically for minutes.  
"Hah!" Dan continues. Nobody budges.  
"That's a good one." He continues, tears were at his eyes because he just heard the biggest joke of the century. And continues his cackling and wheezing.  
Chloe, Maze, and Amenadiel were just looking at him. Waiting.  
"HAHA-HA-Haha...h-?" He finally stops.  
"I mean guys! SERIOUSLY?!" He finally says, putting his hands by his hips, like the cop he was.

At that, Amenadiel decides to show his wings.  
Unfortunately, Maze went first, caught his attention, and revealed her face to him with the smirk that she always wears.

Now, he cannot unsee that.

Even Chloe was shocked. She never asked Maze about it and she also never bothered to show. But she can guess that she did that only to amuse herself despite the situation. She is, after all, the _Torturer Supreme_ from below.

A thud was suddenly heard and everyone's attention returns to Dan at the floor. Amenadiel, hiding his wings, gets on his knees and steadies Dan.  
Looking at him, Dan realizes that he just, in fact, became the joke.

* * *

After handing some coffee to everybody who proceeded to move to the small receiving area in Chloe's apartment, they decided to wait up for Dan before opening the discussion regarding the main reason as to why both Amenadiel and Maze showed up. Dan, however, was still out of it and proceeds to stand and moves back to the kitchen to find something harder for his nerves.

His hands were shaking. He realizes, as he reaches to open the door to the shelves and stops. His mind went directly to the thing or rather, a person, he does not want to think about now considering the news that was just made known to him. It took him a moment to realize that somebody else had reached up to the bottle that he was aiming for.

"Is this the one you were reaching for?" The deep voice of Amenadiel knocks him off his thoughts. He looks at him. Was he afraid of him? He asks himself inwardly. Or was he more afraid of the question burning in his head since he was told about their identities?

He was looking at Amenadiel with his mouth open, but Amenadiel looks at him with concern. He reaches out, puts his hands on his shoulder, and looks him in the eye. Careful not to intimidate him more. He would not want to lose Dan as his friend now that he knows.

"I..." Dan starts, trying to form a coherent thought.  
"Charlotte. Your mother..." He continues. Amenadiel starts to understand now.  
"What-" He realizes it was the wrong primer to his question.  
"Who...Was she even..." He continues and becomes unsure of what he should be asking.  
"Human?" Amenadiel supplies with a sad smile on his face.

Amenadiel sighs for a while, remembering a memory.  
"The human Charlotte Richards, before we knew her, has a life of her own." He pauses for a while and observes Dan.  
"Unfortunately, she was murdered before and her body was occupied by our Mother, the Goddess of Creation." He supplies. Hearing that saddened Dan. She was even supposed to be dead even before they met.

"She was," he continues, "a prisoner of Hell after being banished by our Father, the place where my brother rules. She was able to escape when I was weakened back when I was stabbed by Malcolm as I was the one temporarily guarding the gates while also being given the mission to retrieve Lucifer and bring him back to Hell."

Dan was looking down at his hands. A Goddess, huh. He repeats to himself. Unsure if he should be proud or angry.

"You are her favourite human." Amenadiel continues which makes Dan look back at him. Also realizing the true meaning of those words said to him by the Goddess Charlotte.

"Lucifer does not wish to send her back down below again but she wants to take the Silver City from our Father for her to rule, and also to allow Lucifer to return above. But Lucifer liked it here better. So, he had to send her away in order to avoid a bigger conflict and the rage from our Father that could be directed to our Mother. She did not want to leave us, her children, but Lucifer made her realize it was for the best." He says, remembering what Lucifer told him.

"Is she dead now? Your Mother?" Dan speaks, noticing just how dry his mouth was.  
"No. Lucifer created another realm for her to live using his light-bringing powers. She is, happy there." He replies. She would be, as she has the freedom to create.

"But we never expected that the human, Charlotte Richards', soul would return to her body. So, we took care of her as much as we can for, she spent her months living in the prison where our Mother should be." He continues, admitting the guilt that he felt for her too.

Dan now also realizes those times the brothers were acting weird towards her. The human version or the Goddess version.

"And then she met you." He says, pointing at his chest.  
"She met you, even after what happened to her. Trying to turn her life around and us helping as much as we could." Amenadiel smiles.  
"She met you, and still, fell in love with you."

A tear fell on Dan's cheeks. He realizes that Amenadiel was right. Human or Goddess. Charlotte Richards still fell for him and he for her despite it all.

"I should be the one dead with the bullet. I was mortal back then for I have fallen from our Father's grace. But through her unselfish act..." He stops, remembering the pain it caused him. She was his friend too.

Dan also feels it. And he was busy blaming Lucifer for her death. He did not realize back then what Amenadiel felt.

Gaining his composure, Amenadiel continues.  
"Because of her, my divinity returned. And I can only thank her by bringing her soul to the Silver City. If only I was not mortal I-" He was stopped by Dan hugging him.  
"Thank you. You've done enough for her." He says. Feeling at peace and finally believing what he said before about her being in heaven. "Thank you, man." He says again while tapping his friend's back.

* * *

To say Hell was hot and that Maze missed it (back then), was an understatement. For now, the current tension between her and Chloe was rather delightful for her. Never has a human ever made her uncomfortable or feeling pitiful, guilty even, than before. It amused her and confused her at the same time. To think that she felt she has immersed herself to their emotions for a long time, well, it actually started when she met them, and that she could somehow understand them better now.

But no.  
Humans are rather a wide form of curiosity and complexity.

But for now, there is Detective Chloe Jane Decker.  
A very guarded one.  
She can sense her goal on finding Lucifer and her intent to not let them foil her plans.

"So, you have been reading on the tomes back at his library." She starts asking leaning in and resting her elbows on both of her knees. Chloe, sat across her, places the cup she was holding and crosses her arms and legs. She does not answer.

"You don't have to do this, Chloe." She continues, gauging her reactions.  
"I've heard about that before, but I will." She replies. Looking away at Maze.

"You know that I was annoyed at you for trying to keep Trixie away from me. But I realized that you were just unsure about it, too. However, it would not really hurt if you'd just ask the child. She's smart you know." She suddenly says, calling out Chloe on what she did when they returned from their Europe travel after knowing the truth.  
Her turn to cross her legs.

"Look, I am sorry for what I did. I should have trusted your friendship with her. But, at that time, I was just-"  
"Like I said, she's smart." She stops her. "Something she got from you."  
"What do you mean?" She says surprisingly. "Have you told her the truth already?"  
"No, I did not mean that. I was talking about OUR friendship. She is one of my first friends here. And I was so sorry for what I said to her that time."  
Chloe, missing what she was meaning to say keeps silent.  
"And NO. I haven't told her the truth."  
"Oh. Okay. Thank you." Chloe awkwardly responds.

It was quiet for a while between them. A staring contest. Nothing can stop them for Amenadiel and Dan were at the kitchen.  
Great. Chloe says inwardly. Talk about staring the demon in the eye and restraining yourself to tell your darkest secret.  
She exhales.  
Maze raises her eyebrows in triumph. Her intimidating aura was working on Chloe. It seems that only to Lucifer, was she immune.

"I cannot sleep properly, okay? Knowing where he was..." She says, giving in.  
"I finally understood all of what he's saying to me after all those years, even if it took me a while, and I cannot just stay put here after everything. There's just...I just feel that it is something I that have to do. For him. Knowing how he's... how he was forced to take up the job." Maze realizes the pressure that has been lifted off her chest and notices that both Dan and Amenadiel were standing behind her.  
They did not disturb her.

Rubbing both sides of her head with her hands, she continues.  
"I am so tired of the men in my life leaving me. Not that they have a choice either." Everyone could hear that single, deep breath that she took.

"I know, he would want for me to stay here, but I can't. I just can't! And I need to find him." She says, tears starting to form in her eyes.  
"I need to let him know...that I am here and he does not need to be alone. That I believed in him. That I won't give up."

"I need to prove myself to him." She adds with conviction. Realizing the words that his Mother once said about her being not worthy of her son.

Maze and Amenadeil were looking at each other. Forming an understanding.

Breaking up the moment Dan asks. "Wait, were you planning to offer yourself as a sacrifice to go to him?"  
Maze smirked inwardly. She imagined a different scene though. A scene with somebody, in particular, leading the ceremony.  
Fiery.  
But now is not the time.  
Damn that Decker.

"What!? Why would I even do that?" Chloe responds in great horror.  
"But Amenadiel said before that it could cost you your life. Then you've been into these books about the devil and what not! It's not a surprise if I'd conclude with that!" Dan says so, like a child discovering that fishes are not meant to be brought above the water and have them "walk" on land.  
"We were talking about a portal, Dan! For God's sake!" She says.

However, it invoked a common memory that she has whenever it was mentioned in front of him. She could not help but have a small smile forming her visage.  
Maze, catching-up, says:  
"For Lucifer's sake."  
To which, she can't help but smile wider. She does not really want to cry now, not if she can help it.

"But you knew that what he did was for the best interest of everyone." Amenadiel finally says. "To keep everyone safe."  
"I know." She responds.  
"Everyone. Meaning including you. Especially you." Amenadiel continues, stopping her thoughts and whatever retort she plans to throw back. "And that would be futile if you'd carry on with your plans."

And the tiny part of the truce has been broken.  
Chloe returns to glare at him.

Maze shaking her head interrupts.  
"Chloe, you need to know something." She says, getting her attention. Looking for a way to slowly break the news and not ruin it.  
"That portal that you have found, one of the few lying around the world, has been closed. Recently." She adds. Chloe's eyes showed a hint of panic mixed with despair. She has to admit, she would have enjoyed seeing that emotion in a human's eye but unfortunately, it was in Chloe.  
Again, she reminds herself that the situation is not quite right for her to be amused.

"What do you mean." She asks, more of a statement rather than as a question.

"I have been looking for the portals too, because I was planning on heading down there." Maze continues.  
"And before you say anything else, I am pissed off too." That surprises Chloe.  
"After he left, I decided to follow him down using one of the portals that I know of."  
"Why would you go Maze?" Dan interjects, curious.

"Because, I, Mazikeen the Demon, was born to be at his side. To protect him in any form of danger. That is my purpose for being given life." She says with a bitter tone on her words.  
"But...I cannot do that if I am here." She looks down at her feet. Dismayed.  
"But who would hurt him in there? Wasn't he the ruler?" Asks Dan, still curious.

"Every ruler has their own group of rebels. They could be growing now since he declared to abdicate." She says, recalling when Dromos came to the surface.  
"Who knows, he could be in for a lot of rebellious demons in Hell. Many of which might be my siblings." She adds.  
"But why would your siblings rebel against Lucifer, Maze? Shouldn't they be at his side too?" Chloe asks.  
"Because he chose me." She says. Amenadiel stays silent.  
"And I chose to be loyal to him. Even if he was the one to imprison our mother deep in Hell's abyss."

The two humans in front of them, do not know how to react with that information, they have to admit to themselves. This could be happening since what? Millennia? Four? The beginning of time itself?

But, Maze continues, keeping up the more pressing matter at hand.  
"When you told Amenadiel of what you found, though it surprised me too, as I did not believe in those stupid books of his to have any relevant information. I mean, I thought he was just having them for amusement." She says, rolling her eyes at the last part.  
"We checked the place out immediately. But we were too late." Amenadiel adds.

Maze moves to Chloe and proceeds to kneel in front of her then holds her hands. Wanting to comfort her the way she thinks she knew how. She looks her in the eyes. Her tears were evident in her clear green eyes.  
"The rebellion is serious. He has lots against him in Hell and he is doing everything he can to keep them at bay. As much as I wanted to be there with him, I cannot now. Only he can close the portals from Hell. He even banned Amenadiel to fly near the gates for he knew that you would somehow end up asking for his help in the future."

Chloe slowly, pain evident, closes her eyes and her tears fall down on her lap. She shakes her head, not wanting to hear anymore. But Maze continues.

"He...He does not want me back there to protect him. He wants me here to protect you. They may come after you. Many of them saw you when they came to take baby Charlie."  
"They can use you against him to step down or unleash Lilith." She says, not bothering to care if it was her mother's name.  
"If that happens, this world will fall into chaos with demons running free under her."

* * *

It was around eleven when everybody went home, Maze decided to stay to watch over Chloe as Trixie was with Dan's house along with his parents.  
She is not really sure if she would be the right person to be with her now.

Having a last check on the windows and finally locking the doors, she finds Chloe sitting in front of the lit fireplace. Looking at the dancing fires in sadness. The glowing ember reminds her of those fiery eyes.  
Maze sits opposite her, fiddling with her nails. But she stays silent.

"I cannot even kill myself, huh?" Chloe says suddenly which shocks the demon.  
Maze stays quiet for a while.  
"Well, we cannot really be sure if you'd go straight down there if you do that considering you're a Miracle." She responds honestly.

"Then what is the point of all of this?" She says exasperatedly. Hurt in her tone.  
"We met for some reason. He even mentioned once if I was sent by his Father. If so, why even...why is this happening?"

Maze can notice the anger in her voice now. She has a point. What is the purpose of bringing her to Lucifer's path? Was it to amuse _Himself _at one human soul suffering and His son to experience despair and pain even after casting Lucifer out?

She really does not know anymore.

She cannot answer.

* * *

**A/N:**

Hi Guys!

Song for this one is Cosmic Love by Florence + The Machine

Apogee - is the point in the orbit of the moon or a satellite at which it is furthest from the earth.

It's Monday tomorrow. -_-

Anyways, I wish you all a good day ahead!


	5. Extempore

Extempore: Is There a Piano in Your Throne Room?

He arrives.  
Staring at the vast gloomy domain that greeted him.  
To this place, it provides a welcome in its own way.

His sits at the top  
He remembers

How it must feel to be a bird  
Roamin' lonely over sea air  
How it must feel to be a bird  
London, Paris, underneath  
And I'll wait on my own 

And I couldn't tell you enough that I'm sorry  
And no, you couldn't tell me enough that you love me  
But she's bringin' the moon and stars to me  
Damn permanent reverie  
And even though this life, this love is brief  
I've got some people who carry me

Wasn't it love as soon as we knew each other properly?  
Livin' 'bout half right 'til a certain person got to me  
Nothin' is secret, everythin's sacred, how it ought to be  
Under the moonlight on a clear night  
On rooftops is where I want to be

Sometimes I'm like a child, that's somethin' I can't release  
Dreams of her comin' home, sweet home  
And I'm tellin' you home is so sweet  
Said you reminded me of the summertime, and I still mean that  
In a full room, I'm the only one she's smilin' at

So wouldn't you let me know if you were thinkin' less of me?  
That's what she asked me  
What was promised, what we both agreed  
But truthfully, if you ever go  
You'll drop me straight to Hell, the 7th circle  
And I was talkin' with you earlier  
We were open and vulnerable, it was wonderful

I, I used to dream that you would talk to me  
I used to dream that you would talk to me

And I couldn't tell you enough that I'm sorry  
And no, you couldn't tell me enough that you love me  
But she's bringin' the moon and stars to me  
Damn permanent reverie  
And even though this life, this love is brief  
I've got some people who carry me

You know that feelin' when you think your  
heart is gonna come right out through your shirt?  
Get it a couple times a year  
But I've been gettin' it more often with her

Now when I'm face to face with death, I'll grab his throat  
And ask him, "How does it hurt?"  
Up in those golden moments, growin' old too quickly  
Was he thinkin' of her?

But she's bringin' the moon and stars to me  
Damn permanent reverie  
And even though this life, this love is brief  
I've got some people who carry me

* * *

Hello guys, I can only offer this for now as I am not yet halfway to the current chapter I was working with. I have been busy aiding my Professor preparing syllabi for undergraduate courses and there were lots of them since last week (halfway there too, pfft). I am soaked on my pc from 9am to 5pm. It's draining. I cannot even insert studying for my comprehensive exam which was supposed to be scheduled next week (But same Professor will give that as she's my thesis adviser too - i'll ask for a resched, needed to have one before doing my thesis work). Soooo I have little energy left to shake my brain on working some drafts.

Anyway, stumbled upon this song earlier today and was crushed by it immediately. Only realized I could use it here as an intermission (bc it may take longer for me to finish up Ch05)  
when I was working draft.

I think the song would somehow speak for Lucifer's thoughts itself.  
Also summarizes their feelings from the begining till season 4.  
Well that's my opinion. Hehe.

The song was from Dermot Kennedy, For Island Fires and Family.  
In case you have not heard it yet.  
Damn that voice.

pps: Please excuse me.  
enjoy!


	6. Greek Style or LA's

**Chapter 05: Greek or LA's**

It was finally Friday. But the day's not over yet.  
The school grounds are as lively as ever. Children running and milling about.  
Others were busy tending to their lunch over the benches where there were kids having soccer practice on the enclosed field.

His mom once asked him back when he just started school if he would want to join the soccer club or any sport that he takes interest in. He was undecided back then as he was entirely sure if he'd like to run around a large field to kick a ball.  
Well aside from the fact that he, was actually, kind of wary of other kids except for his cousin Charlie. So, he stayed away from sports unless required in a class.

_One time when they were heading to their parked car opposite of the mall they just got off to, they passed by a street performer. She was playing the cello and not much people were paying attention to her. He, however, was enthralled by the music that he heard. It was as if, there was a language being spoken into in between the performer's string of chords, uninterpreted and drowned by the surrounding noise on the street. When his mother realizes that he had stopped walking with her, she slowly approaches him._

_He was disenchanted when his mother kneels and uses the hem of her coat to wipe his cheek. Facing her, Chloe asks in a careful but sweet tone.  
__"Hey..what's wrong, honey?" She looked at the direction he just stared into and looks him in the eye.  
__Confused at his mother's action, he tries to open his mouth to respond but she places a hand to his cheeks instead.  
__"Do you want to stay and watch the lady perform?" She points to a bench opposite to where the cellist was at.  
__He nods and proceeds to hold his mother's hand and makes way to the said bench._

_They sat for a while. Chloe was pretty observant of her son's expressions. From being delighted, awestruck, to back at being confused again as evidenced by his knitting eyebrows. She wants to laugh at the child.  
__They play music at home. Her and Trixie's kind of genre. Maybe, there are some of theirs that he likes too but he was at the 'monkey sees, monkey does' stage. Besides, his ears were bombarded with the common genre for his age. The lullabies, nursery rhymes, and other school/kiddie songs. He's about five and a half._

_"Do you like the music that the lady was playing?" She asks while also trying to distract the child's piercing gaze.  
__He only nods.  
__She shakes her head lightly and smiles, remembering how her son is when focused on some things that intrigue him. Good thing that Trixie was at school, he would definitely be teased by her._

_Pointing at the performer, she continues to try to communicate with the child._

_"That wooden object that she is holding is called a cello and the sounds are produced when she pushes or pull the bow left and right."  
__Still not looking at her, he finally responds.  
__"Mom? What makes the sound different?"_

_Remembering the little time she had attending piano lessons and also the general knowledge there is to know to musical instruments – also courtesy to some of Trixie's homework when she was just in grade school – Chloe points at the other arm of the performer, specifically to her fingers where it was moving to and fro on the neck of the instrument. Sam follows.  
__"You see that? Her fingers are moving to different places at the handle, right?" The boy nods.  
__"When she forms her fingers that way, it makes a key. A different key for every sound produced, but for cellos, it stretches or stills depending on the push and pull." She found herself surprised at her explanation._

_"Does it always make sad music?" He asks, finally facing his mother.  
__She was not that actually paying attention to the performer, so she takes a couple of seconds to answer and focuses on listening to the music.  
__"Hmmm, not always. Instruments like cello have a deep sound unlike its little cousins, the violin, they had higher...uhm, shrieky sound...?" She was unsure of how to explain the difference._

_Wrong_ _PARENT_.

_However, Chloe continues.  
__"It also depends on what song she was playing. There are nice and happy tunes played in cello too. Even nursery and school rhymes! We can play some when we get home, okay?" He nods again in understanding. The performer finishes the last of her tune and bows._

_That moment actually opened up his interest in music._

_First, it was just the humming. Then he learned that he could whistle and started doing that around the house one afternoon while he was playing with his toys. He was trying to make sense on the sound that he was trying to produce but it ended up nonsensical to her sister's ears._

_His mother finally notices and played a new kind of music on the speaker. It was just a simple piano piece. Not too melancholic. It was the kind that she listens to secretly (from the many albums) when she misses him and wants to hear a piano playing._

_[Love by Yiruma]_

_The careful tones of the music slowly flooded the entirety of their floor. Washing over the walls, intermingling with the outdoor sounds until their waves were pushed back out – off the entire house. The soft music complementing with the afternoon shadows pooling on the floor. Painting their very own picture._

_Observing the child from the kitchen, Chloe notices how her son's head perked up at the new music. He stood and turned around with awe on his face. It seems like a new realm had just materialized over in her son's world. Realizing that his mother was behind it, he ran towards her by the breakfast table._

_"Hey, you don't have to run. The music won't go anywhere!" She said half scolding the kid and ruffles his hair.  
__"Do you like it?"  
__He smiles at her and says heartily.  
__"I want to catch it!" And he proceeds to continue running around the house waving his hand in the air.  
__Chloe can only laugh._

_Since then, she was sharing her secret song album with her son. Listening together when they're at home, sometimes with Trixie, but more between the two. During bedtime, it was their lullaby after reading him a story.  
__It had become their own secret world somehow. A solace._

_It was THEIR connection.  
__And Chloe can only be glad that she can actually share it to their son._

* * *

A ball hits him at the back of his head.

An earphone falls off his ear and he sighs as he turns his back. Good thing he was too focused on the music that he was not chewing his sandwich at that time.

"Come on, Decker! Hand the ball!" One of the older kids demanded. A classmate of his was on that team. The coach was nowhere to be seen.  
"What? You lost an ear, Decker? Gonna call your freaky _bodyguard_?" Said classmate followed. His teammates were chuckling.

He proceeds to go for the ball and walks towards them. He was annoyed. But the ball hitting his head or that it was intentional was not the reason. He was annoyed and disappointed as he missed his favourite part of the piece that he was listening to. That was also the part that he needs to furnish before the recital. He was cheating by learning it through ear instead of reading it in a sheet, as he's running out of time.

Another kid was supposedly planning something when he hands the ball but luckily the coach returned. Somebody somehow called his attention.  
"Thank you, kid." He says eyeing the boys and tells them to continue.  
He was aware of the team's habit of picking on younger students during lunch break practice.  
"Are you okay?" He asks with concern over his face. He was a kind man, he can tell. Just happen to have those bunch of kids under his wing.  
He simply nods and proceeds to where he left his things.

The bell rings. Lunch break is over.

* * *

For this afternoon, under Miss A. Jackson's class, they continued their topic about Greek mythology. After they were acquainted with the gods and goddesses, they were moving on to the demi-gods/goddesses and the heroes under their stories. It was smooth sailing, really. With Miss Jackson being one of the nicest teachers they ever had. Well, for Sam – yes, he can't speak for his classmates though.

She did not give a weird laugh or a gasp when she read and called his name during their first meeting. She was new at school. She just gave him a look of understanding which was a first for him in terms of reactions. He remembered one old teacher who immediately did some fast-moving hand gesture when his name was mentioned one time at roll call. Others just grunted.

Her middle name was actually Athena. And she thought of his name as unique, thank you very much. Still left him confused though when she asked for his.  
_To which he said, "Morningstar...?" That earned him the eyes of the whole class.  
__Either they'd find him stupid or just freakishly weird. _

_What kind of name is that even? Stars? In the Morning?_

_"No, Samael." She soothes. "I, for example, is called Alexandria Athena Jackson. Athena is my middle name or you could say my second name." She says, also addressing the whole class.  
__He stayed silent. That was the first that a teacher bothered to ask him of other names after calling him with the first._

_Seeing as the boy was having an internal struggle, also considering the nature of his name – must be an inside joke of his parents, she decides to amend.  
__"Maybe you could write it for us then, Samael?"  
__Many of the other kids groaned. It was just on letter the "D". They'd want to be called by the new teacher, too. Maybe, also get asked to write their names on the board._

_"So that's how it is!" She exclaims, pretending to have just been illuminated.  
_Samael Morningstar Decker_. He wrote.  
__The whole class was somehow intrigued now. One kid shouted.  
__"That is weird Miss Jackson."  
__"Why was his name like that. Is that his real family name?" One added.  
__"But our other teachers only call him Decker."  
__"Yes, I remember him also writing only Samael M. Decker on one of our homework."  
__"Was he cheating?"  
__"We don't write ours like that."_

_Wrong foot. She just had the class erupting with a whole lot of questions._

_Realizing her mistake and seeing the boy getting more confused, ears getting redder now. She tries again. Gesturing Sam to return to his seat.  
__"Okay, everyone. Sure, you guys are wondering. But there are other ways to write your names aside from the usual arrangement." The class finally settles down and she proceeds to write hers at the board._

_"Okay, so my name is Alexandria Athena C. Jackson, right?" Everybody nods.  
__"My full name will then be...Alexandria Athena Chase Jackson." She writes below the first set. Somebody's eyes widened. Kids. She reminds herself.  
__"Chase is my mother's Family name. Since she is married to my father, she changed her family name into my father's, which is Jackson. So, I and my siblings also follow the same family name." Before another eruption happens she adds.  
__"But there are times that parents, when married, would like to have their names written in this manner for 'other important reasons': Chase-Jackson. Which can also be used by their children."_

_"However, in this case, it seems like Samael's middle initial is Morningstar." She moves to the board and encircles the letter 'M'._

_A collective _ooooohs_ were heard in the room. The boy who was the current reason as to why they were having this topic somehow did not join the rest of the class. She noticed that something in her example was bothering him._

_A couple of months later, the class forgot about the name incident. There are other little ones but they'd forget about it within a week. Miss Jackson learned a few trick or two to distract them. Makes the class progress in their topics._

The class with Miss Jackson makes him feel at ease. He loves the stories of the ancient civilizations and they had just finished with Egypt last week. He can't help but feel a bit more intrigued and amazed by it. After classes, he always stays a bit to ask a bit further about the Greeks as he learned the hard way not to do that when the class was still running. It was their last period and everyone was always just too eager to go home.  
She is always too fond to answer his queries though.

"How do heroes pray to their gods and goddesses?" He asks when he was helping her do a final check on the room before closing it. They finished fifteen minutes later than usual. Though she promised to always answer his questions after class hours, he was so into mythology lately and she was so, so okay with that too, it can't be helped that they have a teacher's meeting beginning at the next ten minutes.

"Oh, that one? Hmmm, I guess I forgot to mention that in class when we had their culture as topics." He waits patiently as she finishes filing their papers. Honestly, she could always tell him to just look it up on the internet, but she thinks that the boy would want to hear it by mouth instead.

"There are usually different ways and it usually starts with an offering. Then, they call unto the god or goddess and say their prayers."  
"Do they answer...immediately?" He continues.  
"Well, it depends. You know, sometimes the deities are busy sometimes they aren't. Sometimes they like a hero too much that they would always answer, sometimes too, they don't." Before he could continue asking, a group of teachers passed by the corridor and reminded her of the meeting. She is having a bad time not having enough time for his questions.

Taking her notepad, she wrote down on it and handed him the paper.  
"Okay, since it's the weekend tomorrow, I suggest that you read on this. I really have to go. And you should too, okay?"  
He nods in understanding.  
"I will answer your questions when we meet for the next class." She assures him.  
"Thank you, Miss Alex." He walks towards the door and waves at her.  
"Bye Sam." Wow. That boy. She tells herself.

* * *

Since his last session with Dr. Linda, he was bothered by how he should do that praying thing. He asked his sister for starters, but he was still unsure. He thought that by asking his teacher about it would help him. Unfortunately, he did not get to ask about the Angels. But he thinks they don't play a part in Greek mythology. No angels were mentioned there that he can remember.

He did read the chapter of a book that she suggested and there were lots of ways to communicate with the deities back then. Most of them just strike off as weird and disgusting. He would not want to perform those and certainly would not want his mom finding out if he did. He would surely have it!

_There was a time when he was about six and was playing on his animal toys. Well actually, he was drawing them. He was holding the snake and was trying to move it about so that he could place it between the T-rex and the wolf. A kind of unknown family portrait he was making. It was then that he shouted for the toy snake to "STOPPP MOVING!" in a very adult tone his mom would sometimes use on him when he's being fussy, that Chloe decided to check him in his room._

_She gasped. The sight shocked her.  
__There was a snake.  
__A live one.  
__And her son was holding it innocently in between his hands trying to plant it in between the toys. Its tongue was sticking in and out of its mouth, trying to wriggle out of the boy's grip. Good thing it has not wrapped itself on his arms._

_"Ss- Sam...?" She calls the boys attention with a very distraught yet unalarming tone (she can pull that at the same time) while also trying not to startle the animal of her presence. The child faces her still holding the creature.  
__"Hi, Mom!" He grins at her.  
__"Honey, can you please put down the toy and come here a bit? I have something for you." She says calmly now, extending her hand to the child, slowly kneeling but maintaining a good distance as her rushing-in might threaten the snake and attack her son._

_The boy complies. Maze hearing Chloe gasp from the other room arrives and sees her hugging the boy with her eyes closed.  
__"Hey, what's going on?" Chloe then proceeds to check the boy's arms hastily for some bite marks. Thankfully there weren't any.  
__"There's...uhh, there's a snake in his room." She heaves, her mild heart attack toning down.  
__"It is a bad snake, Mom! It did not sit still!" The boy exclaims.  
__Maze, on the other hand, proceeded to check and found the creature there.  
__She stared at it.  
__It hissed a bit then proceeded to climb out of the window._

_"Well, that was interesting!" She remarks, returning to them by the door after a while.  
__"Interesting? What do you mean?" Chloe responds.  
__With her usual tone of speaking, she replied nonchalantly.  
__"I stared at it. It stared back. Then went off slithering."  
__"Oh no! You let go of my toy snake!" The boy says disappointedly._

_"Honey, you don't have a toy snake. We didn't get you one yet, remember?" She tells the child which makes him confused. Definitely not going to get one ever at all, especially since most of the types that he usually points at in toy stores are the rubber ones.  
__Pretty, freakishly, realistic types._

_"I thought Auntie Maze did?" He replies, rubbing his nose. To which Chloe glares at her.  
__"No kiddo, I didn't. I'd get you a different toy if I did." She says, glaring back to Chloe.  
__"And toy snakes do not move like that, honey. They cannot lift their own heads and swing. They should just stay still like Mr. Rexie and Mr. Tibby unless you moved them." Chloe explains.  
__"It's not a robot?" He scrunches his face while asking.  
__"No kid. That was a real one. Like, a pet thing. But you should not have it as a pet. Not in this age though." Maze, in turn, spells it for him._

_Chloe shakes her head and fixes the boy's shirt.  
__"Well, for now...whenever you play with your animal toys and they are moving when they're not supposed to be moving, you call Mommy okay?" She lays a new rule.  
__"Or Auntie Maze!" Maze inserts, leaning down on the kid's eye level.  
__"Okay. Can I have a dog?" Was his response._

After that, he was extremely supervised by both of his mom and Maze, whenever he plays, wherever he is playing at, whether toys or animals were involved. They just realized that he thinks that all toys are toys until he's taught that they aren't. Especially the animal types.

* * *

He sighs and leans back in his chair at their backyard. His mother and sister were inside cleaning off their dinner. They decided to have a backyard barbecue together with Dan and Maze. Well, it was actually only his mom and Dan that were doing the dishes and cleaning. He offered to help but his mother told him its fine. His sister and Maze were upstairs in her room catching up.

There were beer cans strewn over the table and some food that was not brought back inside yet. The little bonfire they fixed was still up and was warming him off in the chilly evening. He looks up and sees the sky lit with the millions of stars.

He eyes back the cans and remembered the book earlier. He cannot, and would not try to take a sip on one of the cans. Especially since there are like four adults in the house. He always can't get away sneaking off things from them.

It should be an offering that will be a part of the food or drink that he would consume beforehand. He reminds himself of the paragraph. However, dinner's done and his so full. He looks again at the table and sees his unfinished glass of blue lemonade and grabs it. Always his favourite.

He looks up again at the night sky. He pours half of the remaining contents to the earth and closes his eyes.  
_Uhhm, Samael? The Angel?...  
__I...  
__I am...praying?  
_He shakes his head now. Gathering his composure and courage.  
_Samael.  
_He tries again.  
_SAMAEL!  
__I pray...for my father's well-being. I pray for his safe return to my mother. For him to be home with us.  
__Samael_,_ I pray that you will hear me and pass my message to my father._

God, he sounded like those greeks. A bit demanding too.

He stops for a while and blinks, thinking if the angel could also serve as a communication line. Well, the Greek heroes had someone to have their deity's responses delivered at them. Surely, angels have something of their own too. Shrugging off his thoughts so as not to derail him further, he continues. Heaving a huge amount of air in his lungs and pouring his heart out.

_Dad?  
__I know we have not met yet...  
__I know...  
__That you love us. Mom, Trixie, me...  
__I want you to know...I  
__I love you too._

He drinks the rest of the lemonade empty.  
A heavy feeling lifted off his chest.

Though he kind of just realized that he could actually pray to other angels other than Samael.  
_Maybe, the less invoked the name, the faster the prayer will be heard?_ He tells himself then he heads inside.

* * *

Funny, after writing that scene with the snake, I stumbled upon this video of a kid with a snake. Check it out. Surprised me too.

/gag/a9Kw250

Yes, in case you were wondering. Athena. CHASE and JACKSON. I loved Greek mythology even before the Percy Jackson series. I was onto ancient Egypt too as a kid. Alexandria is for the actress playing Annabeth Chase in the movies. You could say, she might be their kid too. But that's just me piecing together an OC.

Hope you enjoyed it. Especially to those who waited for this scene for a while since I started this story.


	7. Chapter 6: An Unlikely Falling Star

Oh boy. This might take long.  
See you in hell.

**Chapter 06: An Unlikely Falling Star**

"Oh..." He sighs. The second word lost in a whisper.  
Was it of surprise? Elation?  
Was he grateful? Disappointed?  
No. His eyes widen, the feeling of surprise was already forgotten. His face shifts to worry.  
With a gentle but serious tone, he speaks.

But he was hesitant.

"Chloe, what...You..." He pauses, and like he always has been whenever she does something unexpected, swallows a lump in his throat.  
He shakes his head in disbelief.  
She wants to speak but he went first.  
"You can't be...here." Articulating each word several milliseconds after each other, with the fourth one at three. Somehow, he manages to quickly hide the pain in his face. Panic-anxiety, whichever it was, swelling in his chest.

_And his beautiful eyes were somewhat teary...?  
_The person in front of him was not sure for she was far from him.

She, however, has had enough.  
So, she ran.

She can't care. Not now. Not at this moment.  
She will run and go to him.

* * *

_How did it I end up like this?_ He asks his surroundings hoping that somehow, something or the potted plants could respond to his quandary.

Dan was either unsure at first if he should be thankful or not at all for being informed about their "_Plans to descend_" as Amenadiel had put it.

He was having dinner with his parents along with Trixie when he was called by Chloe to go over Linda's house. They had already told Trixie that Chloe will be leaving to attend to a "_joint case in a different state_" for a few days next week. When their daughter asked about him leaving the table now, he just says that her mom forgot to bring some files from the office and that she needs extra help for this current case _since her usual partner is not around_. He does not say the last part though. All Trixie knew when she asked about _him_ was that he left to go tend to some family business.

But that was already about two months ago.

The call ended with a very huge emphasis on not telling Trixie anything about where he's headed at. So, when he arrives at Linda's, he should have known that he should be in for a surprise. In the living room was Maze, Linda, and Chloe. Amenadiel was the one who opened the door for him.

"We have to leave tonight," Maze tells him.  
"Ooookay. Not that I was _informed_ of it, but I would like to ask why I am called here? Not to be rude or anything." He adds, turning around the room, addressing Chloe.

"We have found a way to go there in the safest way possible for Chloe," Amenadiel explains to him as he followed him. "We are just waiting for one of my siblings to arrive." To which Dan can see the face that Maze gives off.  
Linda stays quiet.  
And then, there is Chloe with her eyes glaring three inches at the side of his feet. Too invested at that, too.

"Okay, out with it. What is it now?" He says pinching the bridge of his nose, his other hand on his hip. Hoping that whatever their plans were, does not involve any pentagrams or summoning circles or blood and candles. Not his blood too, because for what reason was, he called for, then? His train of thought was disrupted when Maze suddenly growls at Amenadiel.

"Of all of your siblings, Azrael!?" Maze stands up, casually whipping a dagger around her thumb and is clearly pissed off. Dan doesn't get it though as to why she was worked up. Well, to be fair on her part, that was her default setting. Also, though he should know by now that there were lots of them in their _family_, he's not really familiar with the who's of them. So.

"Why? What's wrong? What does he do?" He asks anyway, looking up at Amenadiel. Maze stares at him now like he just revealed that he was stupid. Damn. He felt that too. Now that he knows what she really is, he has been getting twice the weird and scary vibes from her whenever she makes these expressions at him.

"In your many religions here, _she_ is known as the Angel of Death," Amanediel says casually which adds to Maze's highly emphasized annoyance.  
"Excuse me?" Dan asks, raising his eyebrows and Amenadiel can only reply earnestly.  
"I said she wa-"  
"Okaaaayyy!" Linda waves her hands between them and decides to intervene, seeing as Maze was ready to stab somebody. Either Dan or Amenadiel. Whoever comes first.  
"You heard it right. Their sibling. Angel of Death. Which is actually,... well,...you know." She trails off, hoping that Dan gets it already and would just stop asking. Friend or not, in this situation, she would like not to be in Maze's list of people to stab in the room.

"Safe? It could be even more dangerous than what Chloe initially planned!" Maze hisses again at Amenadiel, toning her voice down to avoid disturbing the infant Charlie in his room.  
"Look, Lucifer banned me from getting in the gates. I also asked my other siblings if they have been banned too but most of them do not care about it at all. There are only a few of us who is closer to Lucifer and one of that is Azrael," he explains ever patiently.  
"Which is, again, the one and only _Angel of death_. You know, like bringing people's soul to Hell? Like when they do DIE?" She counters, gesturing to the air with her dagger, to help prove her point.

Amenadiel just inhaled his equally discernable aggravation.  
"Which is the only one who can have free passage to the borders and can come near the gates of Hell even if it was closed since it was her JOB." At that, Maze subsides and plops herself down on the couch beside Linda.

"I looked everywhere for one of those coins of his but only found nothing of it but fraud copies." Amenadiel continues to lay out his reason. "That is why I decided to turn onto Azrael." He was also wary of this plan but they cannot wait any longer. His brother might be in danger and he would want to be at his side and aid him, considering what he did to save his son. Everyone was quiet for a while and was somehow contented that they have exhausted every possible solution there is to their plans.

The wind outside suddenly picked up, the humans in the room turned to look by the window beside them and undoubtedly heard wings flapping. There was a noticeable silence in their surroundings. The evening critter sounds faded away immediately as if somebody muted all of them.

"So, this is her, Brother." Another voice was heard which made Linda jump off her seat – hands flying towards her chest, Dan jolting where he was stood yelping _Jesus!_, and Chloe gasping when she turned her head as the Angel in question was leaning inches to her and is currently analyzing her face.  
_And she was squinting her eyes...?_

The evening calls of the nighttime bugs were heard again.

"Hello, Sister. Thank you for granting us this request." Amenadiel greets.

She pushes herself up and extends her hand to Chloe.  
"Hi, I am Azrael. Sorry about that, I have to _see_ you properly." Chloe responds and shakes the offered hand.  
_But your wearing glasses!_ Chloe says internally, not sure if she'd just blurt it out to the legit Angel of Death with all of her cute, chin-length bob cut, and harmless appearance. But her face says otherwise. She is actually kind of wary of people whose eyebrows were hidden under thick bangs. Wary because she finds it hard reading their expressions. Eyebrows were quite indicative that way to her.

"She meant your soul. Angels have pretty enhanced physique." Maze answers her thoughts as if she heard them. To which Chloe nods, realizing how stupid she looked.

Moving towards Amenadiel, she gave her big brother a hug which he also returned.  
"How was it down there?" Maze, interrupts the two.  
"Hello too, Mazikeen of the Lilim." Azrael greets sincerely, then proceeds to hug her  
too.  
Who would have thought the feared Angel of Death, in all of the tomes where her name was written, came up to be this hug-machine? The three humans in the room were confused and surprised at the same time. Maze though, rolls her eyes. Not too fond of being addressed that way.

Linda clears her throat as she noticed that it has dried up, she had her mouth opened for a while since Azrael's appearance. Dan blinks out his eyes too to shake off his surprise of earlier. Amenadiel took the liberty of introducing the other two.

Like a soldier, she starts reporting to Amenadiel after their proper introductions.  
"I was there observing as you have told me, Brother. It was quiet. But too quiet for the usual down there. Something is in the works and I cannot tell which demons down there were involved." She starts while casually sitting herself in the chair opposite them. "There was a time I was sending off a soul that some sort of riot happened. And man, that was very, very troublesome and crazy. I did not know what started it though."

Not being able to hold it anymore, Chloe interrupts her and asks.  
"Did you saw him? Your brother? Lucifer?" She tried to ask calmly but her eyes reflect the opposite.  
Azrael looks at her brother quizzically.  
_You haven't told them?!  
_He responds with a nod.

"I'm sorry." She starts sincerely. "I do not usually proceed to the other side of the gate. I have been meaning to visit him there since our father..." She pauses. Hands firmly planted with each other on her lap. Remembering how she was so scared for his brother's life yet, not being able to help him. They all just watched him fell. Screaming and thrashing. Anger seething through his teeth as he shouts at their Father. While he was being consumed by...

She willed those harrowing memories away.  
Amenadiel remembers it too. They did nothing.

She was guilty of that for eons. Sighing, she continues.  
"I did not find it in myself to do so for a long time. But when I decided to, he has left and was living here happily." She gestures around her then returns to folding her hands and again places them on her lap.  
Yes, she cannot ruin that part too. She knew big time that she had disappointed her big brother. She felt that when she finally decided to show up in his penthouse.  
"This will be the first time for me to venture inside my Brother's Kingdom. Also, the first that I'd do this with a human who is not yet... you know... dead." She explains also confirming to everybody what Maze was telling them earlier. Chloe nods at her in understanding though.

Establishing that there has been no communication whatsoever between siblings. Nobody's a fan of Lucifer after his stunt. One who was at that time tolerated him and only makes sure that his brother was doing his job as the ruler of Hell. Too proud as the eldest. One sister who was not able to get over the guilt and allowed time to pass by. Another one who used to play with them back in their younger days but was obedient too with his own agenda and provided Lucifer with no other option but to eliminate him.

_What a family. Another one with issues too. Despite appearances, definitely related_.Hearing her little confession made Linda think that, after meeting their parents and with Lucifer and Amenadiel, it just reinforced her thoughts that they were all just like them. Just with extra abilities and physique, but altogether, burdened with emotions. Emotions that were just overlooked and ignored with no one to guide them about it.

Were the humans modelled after God's image at all, or after his children? She doesn't want to sound uncaring, as she treats them as a family too, but that could make a good book title.

After the heavy air and quiet around them subsided, Azrael stood up and with a confidence in her chest, starts to talk again. "But I did my own readings back at the Silver City. Discreetly!" She adds immediately as Maze and Amenadiel's eyes were widening upon her mentioning of the place. They opted to have this mission of theirs as under the radar as possible in the ears of their other siblings, in Heaven and Hell. Amenadiel urges her to continue and everybody listens intently. Linda on the other hand decided to grab her notebook at the coffee table behind the sofa to record. They did not notice her.

"If I cast a protection spell to her since she is not technically dead yet when I bring her, it will provide protection while she is there. We will not go through the gates as it is very crowded and she does not need _processing_. But we still need to move fast towards Lucifer and undetected so as not to complicate the natural order of things there. I mean, the presence of a human, who was not on the list would send them on a tedious hunt." She explains to them. "Also considering what Amenadiel said about them seeing her up here and the possibility of an uprising rebellion, they can't definitely know she's there."

"The spell will also serve as a mask to hide her scent to the hounds and other demons." She simply says, ending her explanation. However, it gave off a weird reaction to the three humans in the room. Maze, the experienced one, looks at them and supplies.  
"We use Hell hounds to sniff off those who try to escape. Sometimes for punishment too."

Everybody was now seemed to be relieved that their new teammate was able to find a solution to their current million-dollar question. Looking at Amenadiel, Dan chose to ask.  
"So why are you guys leaving now?" The billion-dollar question.

"It was my idea," Azrael answered. "Aside from it being the optimal condition for the rest of us, this night is also one of those downtimes in there because it is the New Moon." Dan, Linda, and Chloe do not quite understand the relevance of the event but they all simultaneously bobbed their heads anyways. Chloe has not read about that too since she started looking up for methods. But she can only be thankful. They're likely not to have time by their side.

"Also, I have no scheduled soul pick-up to do in the area for tomorrow." She adds though.

* * *

After reminding everybody of what to do when they arrived in Hell, they made their short goodbyes and assurances with the two that will be left behind. Amenadiel, after talking with Linda, calls for Azrael to Charlie's room to introduce them. Linda and Maze were talking in the corner with Maze telling her to keep the knives hidden as it may come in handy and not to throw them away.

Chloe and Dan were on the other corner of the house. Chloe looks at him wanting to say something but Dan beats her to it and hugs her. He knows she's being sorry, but there's nothing he could do. He can only offer his support.  
"Just be careful, okay?" She nods at that. "And come back in one piece too, if you can help it. Trixie would prefer that," he adds. It makes her laugh.  
"Thank you. I will." She can't back down now. Pulling off from the hug, Dan continues.  
"You can do this." She nods again.

After casting the protective spell on Chloe, they moved out towards the backyard of Linda for a better _"take-off"_ position. Amenadiel will fly with Maze and Azrael with Chloe. That was the plan, the closer she is to Azrael, the more hidden she will be, was what she told them.

They unfurled their wings, colours complementing with each other. A different pigmentation to their brother's, but it mesmerizes Dan. A noticeable glow on either wing's envelopes the four of them. Another protective layer for their travels cast by Azrael.

"Here we go!" Azrael says too excitedly. All of them looks up to the night sky and they propelled towards it. Knowing all too well that they will do a nosedive to the ground after reaching a certain height.

Dan and Linda followed their ascent as possible as their eyesight allowed them but their attention was taken from them flying when they heard a soft thud in the grass. Looking back in front where the four of them stood a few seconds before was Chloe's unconscious body.

"Oh my God! What happened!" Linda whispers in surprise. Her hand covering her mouth.  
Dan rushes immediately to Chloe's side and checks her for a pulse.  
"Is she okay?" Linda asks also leaning down beside her.  
"She has a faint pulse." Dan then proceeds to shake Chloe to try to wake her up but to no avail. Linda holds his arms to stop him.  
"I think we should not wake her up," she tells him. Afraid that a more dangerous and serious thing could happen if she wakes up while on her journey below. Dan looks at her in understanding.

"Ready a room, we need to get her in and safe." Away from the neighbours too, hoping nobody saw what happened. He looks around and thankfully, the taller buildings were far to see what's going on in this dimly lit yard.

_How did it I end up like this? _He asks his surroundings hoping that somehow, something or the potted plants could respond to his quandary. Hoping too, that he does not look suspicious while carrying an unconscious woman towards a house.

* * *

They managed to break free of the barriers and has now reached Hell's own version of an evening sky. Chloe blinks her eyes and looks around. Amenadiel and Maze flying by their side. Wind whipping on their faces.  
"If you're not fond of heights, don't look down. We're still far up, I wouldn't want you puking around," Azrael tells her.  
"I'm good." She looks in front of her and sees the vast area. It looked like the Canyons but darker in shade. She turns to look at Maze.  
"What? You expect it to be red and fiery?" She grins, hoping to see a little bit of fear  
in her eyes.  
"I imagined it to be smokey too," she responds.  
Nope. Maze finds none.

"There brother." Azrael points with her chin to an area that looks like a hill.  
They then started making a small and steady descent.

Maze's head perks up suddenly and she looks by their left side. Her senses on alert.  
"Watch out!" But she was too late. Amenadiel makes a guttural cry as his left wing was hit with a spear. They both spiral down and he tries to steady them but they were falling too fast.

Azrael grits her teeth and tries to dive towards them while evading another spear thrown at them. _They chose those big ones, huh._ She notices the projectiles.  
"What just happened!" Chloe shouts both in surprise and worry.  
"I told you, I haven't been inside the gates. Also, as what my brother Amenadiel told me before, he usually does not come in here flying like this." She explains while maneuvering the two of them away from the spears and lowers their altitude.  
"Hang on!" She tells Chloe.

"I want you to help me looking around for them." She instructs her as they circle the area where they last saw them both spiralling. They are still quite far from the ground, but strategically faster to look for them while on air.

A huge winged beast with a demon rider behind its neck suddenly appears in front of them from below. It shocks Chloe, she should have expected this too. Safe route or not.

"You should not have passed by the gate, _Maveth_. Hand over the human _soul_." The demon commands. Eyes not necessarily red like how they were usually depicted in films but of a glinting ochre. Though his voice was modulated by the charcoal grey mask covering his face, except the part from his eyes up to his forehead where stumps were visible on either side, he somehow sounded human. Robes underneath an _armour_, of the same colour to the mask, meant specifically for an assault.

Azrael stares at them. She does not like it when her plans are delayed. She was always on a schedule considering her job specification. She now badly wishes that her blade was at her side. Should have looked for it before deciding to do this mission with her brother.  
"This will be a tough fight. Brace yourself."  
"What? How can you fight like this with your hands full?!" Chloe shouted her concern.  
"You have not seen an Angel in a fight?" She responds at her quizzically.

Azrael actually misses the fact that the demon specified for a soul.

* * *

Chloe was actually dropped by the Angel of Death.  
First conscious _flying_ experience this was.

Not intentional though but it can't be helped as there was this demon trying to yank her away from Azrael. Luckily, there's only one at the moment. She tried her best to help too, kicking the beast's side as much as her legs could reach whenever it comes too close. Swinging along with Azrael's movement.

Azrael was good at evading, her speed compensates for her small frame. She was quick on tucking her wings when the beast's hands tried to grab it to immobilize them, covering them all together like a shield. However, with Chloe in her arms, it is difficult to defend themselves from their attackers. Azrael made a mistake and did not notice the beast's massive tail as she was busy avoiding the staff waved at her by the demon rider. They were thrown sideways but she manages to flap her wings to regain their balance.

She had to make a decision.

"Look, I'm sorry but this will take much longer." _And is annoying me too.  
_"I need to divert his attention away from you. I don't get it yet why he was able to smell your scent. I will have to bring you to the ground, give me a piece of your clothing so that they will follow me." She instructs Chloe, midflight, which she obliges. After putting it in her satchel, she was told to grab the round object inside and to keep it by her always.  
"It will help me track you later, also rubs my scent onto you." She explains while making a hasty descent closer to the ground.

"I will drop you away from his sight." She continues. "You go look for my brother and Maze first. They can protect you from the ground. Tell them that you three should go ahead to Lucifer's palace. I will see you there after I sorted this transgre-" she was interrupted when another tail hit her which caught her off-guard. Unfortunately, the force on that was too great that she had accidentally lost her grip on Chloe. Acting like a catapult, Chloe was hurled further away opposite her.

Meanwhile, Azrael who for a brief moment lost her consciousness, was guided by her wings which were somehow in autopilot mode so as to avoid hitting the spiky branches on the tree line below. She was flown past to were Chloe was dropped. When she regained her consciousness, she realized that Chloe was gone. She looks around and finds the rider making a straight dash onto her path. Luckily, the bait worked so she sped up and prepared for a counter-attack.

She can only pray that Chloe landed safely.

* * *

_...member, do not consume anything that looks like food or dri...  
_There was a harsh noise ringing on her ears when she opened her eyes.  
_Do not enter any room no matter what you hear.  
_She hears somebody talking again but can't see anyone when she looked around.  
_...ime in each room works differently. You might...  
_Her vision was still blurry and her ears were still ringing.  
_...trapped.  
_She slaps her face and the ringing somehow stops.  
_This place feeds on your mind and will tempt you.  
__Right, those were the strict instructions from Maze and Amenadiel_. Chloe finds reminds her self inwardly. Sitting up, she looks around and remembers that she fell when Azrael lost her grip on her.

"Okay. Okay." She tells herself a small mantra. Continuing to slap her cheeks with her eyes closed to completely wake her up. She checks her body for any injuries but found only scrapes. Nothing broken. Good. She then notices that the air tasted differently on the ground than on air. Though the place was somehow gloomy and may seem cold to the eyes, it is actually quite warm. Not the fiery heat that they always had depicted on films and books.

"Focus Chloe!" She blinks her eyes and scans the area again. Luckily, she was somewhat near the hill that Azrael initially pointed out. Not that close, but a manageable distance. Remembering her instructions, she checks for the token and finds it safely in her pockets. She stands up and starts walking, hoping that she will somehow find Maze and Amenadiel along the way.

* * *

New Moon.

Despite the lack of stars and the moonless _sky_ in Hell, if you can call it that, he was thankful that the satellite provided this effect to their realm. A short semblance of peace, if you will. He found it peculiar too, back in the early days of his reign, that somehow it provided some sort of dormancy to the occupants here. Noticeably, a lesser number of souls pouring in, too. He did not bother to find its relevance back then as he was busy being resentful and was trying to 'do his job'. That time, he also sees no point in doing so as said _sky_ only served as a dark cover, nay, an eternal sarcophagus to him.

Now, he wishes to see the stars in the very ceiling of such sarcophagus. He will make time to find a way and create that.

The _sky_ _above_ has No Moon.

It will be, for a few days until the next quarter begins. And he is thankful that at such event, he will have time to be away from the confinement of his throne. A mini vacation that he counts since his return about two months ago. He waits for the next one.

Those thoughts made him remember the place that he wants to be, that he can never come back to.  
The person that he misses the most, that he will never see again.

He was casually strolling away from his palace. Avoiding the commonly used halls and trails. At times like this, he preferred to be alone. When he happens to look up on the airspace across him, he sees a huge beast with a demon rider in pursuit of something just in time when it whacks it off using its massive tail.

He laughs at the sight.  
_These wretched souls are getting quite ingenious. An aviator, huh?  
_Though amused, he knows that whoever they were will not make it and that only a bitter punishment awaits them for disturbing the New Moon come they'll get caught.  
He proceeds on his path.  
And to his thoughts.

If only things were much simpler. He could just disappear and his feelings for her won't matter anymore. She could be happy and move along to her life. He had anticipated this for a very long time since he accepted the future of his _efforts_ for her when they were at the beach. He thought he will be ready and accepting when it happens and he will willingly accept his defeat like he did when Cain came into their lives and stir them up. He thought he was over her. Should be over her. Things going back to the simple ways he moulded them to be since he arrived in L. A.

But it won't be now, not after his epiphany and her acceptance.  
First love.  
Indeed, it truly does hurt.

It led him wondering what keeps her busy now. Hoping that she was fine and not angry. Hoping that she won't forget that he did not do this to hurt her. That this was not the same as, the multitude of times, that he does to avoid his feelings for her.  
Ghosting as they called it.  
If she chooses to be mad at him for leaving, he will find it in his _heart_ to understand for she is, after all, only human. No matter blessed was her soul, only human. Tethered to a human heart and governed by human emotion. One of the few humans who sees him differently. The _one _who saw him for what he was and what he thought he would never be again.

Because of that, he loved her even more so.

He hoped that she was keeping herself distracted and working, considering the trail of bodies that their last case had left behind because of the insolence of Dromos. Though it would consist of tons of paper works for them, he would have gladly helped her for once if it meant stretching a few more minutes together with her.

He wishes to spend more time with her.  
Yes.  
He very much longed to be with her.  
Undoubtedly, yes.  
Sitting beside him in the piano chair. Playing a song only for her and she would grant him that sweet smile in return. Getting lost in the sea that was her eyes whenever she gets too comfortably close.  
A sea he in which, he would very much, gladly drown into. He wouldn't care so long as she's with him.

But it won't work like that.  
He knows.  
He cannot blame his father unlike before.  
That, he knows too.

His thoughts of Chloe guided him lost in his very own forest. The same thoughts that drowned away the persistent calls and equally annoying prayers of his so-called _followers_ who continue to worship him the wrong way.  
Oh, he just so cannot wait when it's time for them to turn up in Hell.

He was so lost in his reverie that he failed to notice the change of landscape in his path and that he has walked further than he usually does until he hears his name being called in that very same way that his Detective does - _Lucifer?!_

_Lucifer!  
_He hears it again and closes his eyes. Is this punishment? Again? It pains him hearing that voice knowing that he won't see the person where it came from. He continues to walk.

_Lucifer!  
_And it goes again. It somehow makes him think now if Chloe has learnt to communicate with him through a prayer. He sighs and carries on.  
He's eyes widened though upon realizing the possibility of Chloe summoning him via incantations and summoning circles.

"Oh. Dear. Me." He makes a hasty hundred-eighty degree turn to go back to his palace. His jaws clenching in an inexplicable annoyance.

_Lucifer! Wait!  
_"Too persistent at that too!" He chuckles to himself. He was pretty sure he was starting to sweat nervously.

"Lucifer, I said-"  
At that he turns around and with a very much annoyed scowl painted in his face, thinking that this could be a trick being played at him. That he had somehow unconsciously entered one of the rooms and was trapped in another version of his very own Hell.

She was power-walking towards him.  
She starts to slow down too for his abrupt action somehow surprises her.

Or her prayers were just simply too strong, provided that she was a miracle child blessed by the strongest of them - his brother Amenadiel, that she has managed to manifest in here. He tells himself.

He wishes that he was just hallucinating.  
He steps back.

"Lucifer! Just please stop moving!" She hisses.

* * *

Though she was currently in hell, she cannot help but feel lucky.  
Sure, she was so scared plus freaked out that she fell unharmed. Walked how many kilometres now without encountering any demons, but she is getting wary as there has been no sign of Azrael yet, nor Maze and Amenadiel.

The place was starting to creep out on her. Must be the exhaustion or the air. She can't get sure for this is a very unfamiliar terrain. This place was huge and L. A. is huge too, it's just that, the absence of infrastructures and gigantic buildings makes it more stressful because you cannot have proper landmarks and wouldn't know where to go. There is also the thing with the sky, though the area was entirely dark, there seems to be backlighting coming from somewhere.

She thinks of Lucifer and continues to walk along towards the foot of the hill that was covered by some shrubs and trees. Or whatever version/species it is called here in Hell.  
She will find him. Her new mantra.

Since he left, she tried her best to move on. Trying to keep herself busy again with work like she always does in every heartbreak, either caused by Lucifer or not. However, this one is different. She believed in him now and also admitted to herself that she does love him even though her selfish fear of him losing himself cost her his trust.

She did love him.

No matter how hard she worked, her mind always goes back to think of him and of the night he left. Thinking of that always leaves her asking questions. She can't just move on. Whenever she happens to look by her side or in front of her desk, she would expect to see him leaning by a table or sitting on a chair. Staring at her and smiling the way he always does as she finally takes notice his presence. Or even, sometimes, his several antics whenever he was around. she misses those too, annoying as it were most of the time. His dark eyes staring at her, she cannot shake them more. All she sees was his face. And he's not even dead!

Her world seemed different without him by her side. She felt she was having a hard time keeping up with its pace.

When her pain became too unbearable for her, that's when she decided to dig for some ways to go to him. No matter what her friends thought of her, she was very determined to go alone. At first, she was mad at Amenadiel because she thought he was going to stop her from her plans but she was thankful when she realized he and Maze were also working up ways. Though it can't be helped that their current plan of a stealth infiltration somehow backfired, she can never thank them enough.

She will definitely find him. She repeats to herself.  
She again calls for his image that was engraved in her memory. Recalling every detail, it urges her to continue on her way and encourages her as she walks in this gloomy place.  
His face. Those eyes. That devious smile. She remembers it all the more.

And find she did!  
For when she was about to emerge from the tree line after avoiding the spikes of said shrubs, she saw a figure in a suit very similar to him walking slowly by the base of the hill, head staring onto the ground. She was frozen in place.

"Lucifer...?"  
She whispers to herself. Unsure at first if it was really him. Afraid that it might be the demons finally finding her. She remembers Maze's warning prior to their trip.  
_They might tempt you.  
_She shakes her head and calls out again. She actually finds herself praying that it was really him.

"Lucifer?!" She sees him stopping dead on his tracks.

"Lucifer!" She calls not too loud, afraid that it might not be him. Not wanting to reveal her direction as the figure had not bothered looking towards her.  
He resumes his walk.

But she knows that particular stride of his! It could really be him!  
So, she calls again louder this time. Not caring if there were demons around waiting to lunge and grab her while making her way to him.  
"Lucifer!" She shouts again with urgency.

She sees him jolting upright and his shoulders tightening.  
Then he turns around and starts walking to the path he just came to.

"Lucifer! Wait!"  
She starts to walk faster. She was still very far, she can see the corners of his shoulder moving for a while. But he was still walking.

To be honest, that ticked her off a bit. So, she shouts again louder than before. She swears that if it was him, she will definitely punch him.

"Lucifer, I said-"  
His quick turn showcasing his very pissed look caught her off-guard. But it only reinforced her reasoning that it was in fact, really him. She sees him taking a step back. Now it's her turn to be pissed.

SHE HAD BEEN WALKING FOR A VERY LONG TIME NOW.

"Lucifer! Just please stop moving!" She hissed at him.  
And he finally listens.

* * *

"Oh..." He sighs. The second word lost in a whisper.  
Was it of surprise? Elation?  
Was he grateful? Disappointed?  
No. His eyes widen, the feeling of surprise was already forgotten. His face shifts to worry.  
With a gentle but serious tone, he speaks.  
But he was hesitant.

"Chloe, what...You..." He pauses, and like he always has been whenever she does something unexpected, swallows a lump in his throat.  
He shakes his head in disbelief.  
She wants to speak but he went first.  
"You can't be...here." Articulating each word several milliseconds after each other with the fourth one at three. Somehow, he manages to quickly hide the pain in his face. Panic-anxiety, whichever it was, swelling in his chest.

_And his beautiful eyes were somewhat teary...?  
_The person in front of him was not sure for she was far from him.

She, however, has had enough.  
So, she ran.

She can't care. Not now. Not at this moment.  
She will run and go to him.

Her body hits him with a surprising force and it took his breath away. He expected her to disintegrated and vanish when she did. That this was some shape shifter demon who belonged to the rising rebel group, audacious enough to use her form in order to plunge him in despair.  
Seeking weakness to eliminate him.

But she did not.  
His eyes widened again more than ever. Her in his arms with an ironclad hug. As if the moment she loosens her hug, he will be whisked away by an unknown wind in this underworld.  
"I am." She answers in a whisper. Intended for both of them. Like a spell or a seal to prove where she currently is.  
Real.  
Tangible.  
She was thankful too that he chose to say her name instead of his constant, but sorely missed, '_Detective!_'

He responds to the hug softly and closes his eyes.

Then he quickly realizes that something was way off with her. His senses were alerted.  
He opens said eyes immediately.  
Had the circumstances been different, he would have preferred to stay that way. But he breaks the hug anyways and looks her straight in her eyes. Something was dancing in them.

Drown.  
He wants to drown in them. But he cannot at this moment.

"Where is your body?" He says in between a tsunami of worry and intrigue. A feeling in his chest rises again but he hides it.

Chloe looks around her then to her body which was currently planted in front of him.  
"It's here...?" She says with uncertainty. Not quite sure if she knows what that question was supposed to be.  
"No, Chloe. You are not." He breathes out. "I am sorry to tell you this but you are in your soul form." Worry evident now.

It took a moment for her to realize what he meant but she somehow managed to breathe out her response.

"WHAT!"  
Of all the unbelievable things that Chloe should have already believed and known, she's still not used to it.

Even if she is currently in Hell and standing in front of its ruler.

* * *

He quickly flies her off towards the walls of his castle and hides her in his room. He could not believe that this just happened, but he did his very best to gather his composure and hide it from her. Not a second later, Chloe was asked a barrage of questions from Lucifer.

Pacing back and forth in front of her. His head running a mile a minute.  
"Lucifer, calm down." She tries to stop him as it is nauseating. He even forgot to fold his wings which were hitting the things in his room whenever he paces.

"Whose idea was this?"  
"Mine..._"_ Before she can continue, he asks again.  
"Who brought you here?"  
_"_I flew with Azrael. Maze with Amenadiel._"_ She replies with the same pace as his question went.  
"How did she do that?"  
"She cast a protective spell-"  
"SHE DID WHAT?!" He stopped in his tracks. He then adds quickly.  
"Never mind." She, however, jolted in her seat because she was thinking he'd find it cool that his sister can actually do that.  
"Where were they?" He continues, so as his pacing.  
"Flew together until somebody speared Amenad-" His eyes widened at that.  
"Why are you alone?"  
"Some demon chased us and hit Azrael. I fell downwards then continued to walk towards the says to find Maze and regroup over at your palace." She breathes out and she is pissed that they are somehow talking like in a rap battle. So, before he could ask again, she interrupts him.

"Okay! Lucifer? You are panicking! Why are you panicking?"  
Staring at her and annoyed at her accusation, he tries to respond calmly.  
"I am not! I do not panic!"  
She stares back at him with the same intensity.  
"Lucifer, you have been pacing back and forth and has been throwing questions at me since we arrived here." She waves her hand at her surroundings.

Lucifer was still not yielding and was about to respond when she goes to him and catches his face in between her palms.

She looks at him and says.  
"Your wings were still out. Calm down. I am fine." She tries to assure him.  
Looking behind, he sees the dishevelled feathers due to it hitting his room decorations unceremoniously. He sighs.

"You are in your soul form and it is very dangerous." He says carefully. Holding the very hands that were at his face. He closes his eyes for a while.  
"We have to get you out of here immediately as you are currently running out of time."

"I need to plan." He says while he opens them.

* * *

Not long after, and with instructions to his trusted demons, they were able to find Maze and Amenadiel which was immediately treated by his demon servants.

They were still in his room. Hiding them away from possible spies.  
He was angry at the two of them for being not too careful while being here and was ranting about it furiously that it had Maze fed up and told him to shut up. She then attacked him of being an idiot to close off the gates on them and even more stupid for having one of his demon-rider on patrol in the stillness of the New Moon.

At that, his eyes widened at her.  
"I have not sent anybody! Few should be even by the gates too!" He responds with an equally acidic tone because how dare she accuse him!  
"Were you listening?" She snaps her fingers at him. "We did not go to any gates, we flew directly because your little sister said she had a spell." Lucifer, in turn, looks at the healing Amenadiel who was sitting by his bed.  
_How could you be so careless, Brother_. He glares at him silently.  
"I am happy to see that you are fine, Luci." Was his sarcastic response.

"Why'd you closed off all the gates then? Huh?" Maze asks him because she has been dying to know too.  
"I have to," Lucifer responds with the usual ways he answers. Incomplete.  
It somehow made them confirm their initial theory.  
"You knew," she starts, "that if you had to return, you'd have to bring me back too, right?"  
He does not answer.  
Maze proceeds to pick an ornament by his table and chucked it off the opposite wall. The other two in the room shrunk in their places. Unsure when to butt in.

"Stop it, Maze!" Lucifer responds. The throw was a few inches away from his head.  
"Look, despite me not living with you at Lux anymore and working there, I still do honour my task of being your protector when you can't do it by yourself." Yes, despite the many bones she had to pick with him, she still does want to be his shield and spear. If she had DNA, you could say it was recorded in her gene coding. Like, engraved in her being when she was created.

"I knew that! I did not forget about it." He sits on a chair beside the bed. "The situation was dire, I have no time to summon you here. I had to contain them immediately and close all the portals that connect this world from above." He breathes in a lungful of air before he continued. "It was a decision I had to make. And it is better if you would be there to watch out for others that were able to pass through before I could completely close the portal." He pauses for a while, then admits.  
"And also, to look after Chloe." He looks at Chloe.  
"To which I expected and trust that you'd do the same and remain up there but, here you are Maze." He waves his hand at her.  
Maze glared daggers in response. He just had to end his explanation with that.

Azrael then flew into his balcony with a very dishevelled look and feathers jutting out of order in her wings. She was clearly pissed at what just transpired.  
"Aha! And my little sister arrives in time to save the day. What incompetence have you got for me, dear Azrael?" He greets her without missing a beat.  
She ignores his remark.

"What is wrong with your demon riders? Since when do they use those big spears for hunting? They were even too heavily armoured for this New Moon." She asks while fixing her appearance and dusting herself. She then goes to Chloe to ask for the return of her token. The last of her protection gone.

"What spears? What armour were you talking about? I never ordered any demon riders out. Patrols, yes, to keep everyone in line during this time. Though I saw one above in time whacking at something with its-...wait, that was you?!" He chuckled, remembering the whopping sound that reached him during the event. Everybody looks at him unamused which made him stop.

He clears his throat and proceeds.

"Okay, let's put business first. How did you do it, Azrael?" Maze rolls her eyes. They were just attacked but it's futile to argue now. Sometimes, her master was too goal-oriented as a horse with a pair of blinkers on his head and in front of him was only Chloe.

To business it is.

"Care to explain why was the Detective, in her soul form, not passing under the gates, was here as a marked soul?" He enumerates slowly, emphasized by his hands making partitioning gestures. Laying out the variables in an unknown equation to get his answers.  
"What mark?" Amenadiel asks  
"What do you mean marked soul?" Azrael and Maze asked in unison.  
Chloe who was watching them by the side, curious at the situation too, suddenly felt a searing pain by her left calf. She shouted in pain.

"Aaah!" She shouts.  
"Why...what is happening?" She gritted her teeth in pain.  
"Chloe!" Lucifer calls to her as she falls down.

Everybody saw her and immediately rushed to her side, even the limping Amenadiel. The denim surrounding the area were starting to smoke and burn, revealing her calf with a hot glowing mark. It was the _pentagram_ specific for marking souls. Lucifer and Maze kneeling on her left and right side, respectively, both steadying her shoulders. Her face was contorted and eyes teary as it continued its way on her calf. Lucifer put his hand at the side of her head and pulls her close to his shoulders, his other hand holding hers. Maze tells her to breathe until it finishes connecting the lines altogether. Like a blowtorch carving a metal. Thankfully, painful as it was, she did not faint but the rest of them can only look at the mark in full horror.

"What is this? What did you do!" Maze again shouts at him furiously.  
"It's _the soul mark_ Maze, in case you've forgotten." He replies in annoyance.  
"Well, take it back!" Maze orders him.  
"Wha-...you know that only the one who had put it there can take it back and I certainly did not put nor willed it there!" He was getting hurt now at Maze's constant accusations at him.

He shifts his attention to Chloe. Worry all over his face.  
"How are you feeling?"  
She was breathing deeply for a while, steadying her intakes as Maze told her to. Blinking the tears back into her eyes.  
"That...was...weird...? The pain was gone once it was finished." She responded in an unwarranted amusement.  
Maze and Lucifer looked at each other.  
"That is indeed strange." He says.  
"Why is that so?" Asks Amenadiel.  
"Because it usually takes days for the pain to subside. It slows down those new ones who try to escape, torturing them at the same time while the hunting demons sought after them." Maze supplies.

"Oh no! What have I done?" Azrael says but to unknown guilt.  
"Yes, indeed. What exactly did you do?" Lucifer asks her but cannot find it in himself to get mad at her anymore.

* * *

After recalling step by step her findings and how she cast the protection at Chloe, up to the part where she and Chloe were separated, Lucifer can only think of one answer as to why it did not work. Kudos to Azrael for thinking of this method, unfortunately, she was not informed well enough of the nature of the person she was to apply it to.

"A Miracle? Wow! I have never delivered a miracle before!" She says so proudly with a bright smile on her face. She was getting depressed because she was thinking this was the result of her incompetence.

"Yes, Azrael. She was a Miracle courtesy of our brother here who decided to not _tell_ you about it." Lucifer glowered at said brother. Maze follows, she thought he told Azrael all she needed to know.  
"I thought it wouldn't matter! We could never have thought that it will not work on her." He defends.  
"Exactly, Brother! As she is a miracle, it won't work on her since she was never meant to be here in the first place. And now look! She had the mark of the _Damned_! The first Miracle to step in here since time immemorial and the first to be marked as one like a bloody cow!" He says in great agitation. He wanted a drink. Chloe narrows her eyes at him for his choice of word.

At that moment, the said Miracle decided to intervene.

"Lucifer, to be fair, I think none of us new how this works as you guys do." She addresses him and Maze. "Don't lash out on them. It was originally my idea to come here alone. They were only trying to help and I am grateful for that." She continues, trying to calm them down.  
"I am the one at fault for having this." She points to the mark.

"No Chloe, please don't say that." Maze tells her.  
"How did this happened though, that only her soul was carried here? If that was the case, is she dead above? I mean, we were supposed to travel with her, body and soul, to here." Amenadiel asks.  
"There is a possibility that the spell only attached to her soul form. It could be that her _soul type_ caused that spell to not have that effect on her. If I was aware, I could have worked the spell through it." Azrael explains her theory thoughtfully.

"That may also explain how they found us. Her soul's scent could have been all over the place when we emerged from the barriers and they may have mistaken her as an unmarked soul." She continues.  
"Okay, but, do tell how she has had actually gotten the mark, Sister?" Lucifer asks. At that time, Lucifer, Azrael, and Chloe realized it.

"The demon rider." They said in unison.  
"I remember him grabbing my feet while we were struggling in the air." Chloe supplies.

A moment after, a knock was heard at the door of his chambers. Maze was about to go and open it instinctively but Lucifer stops her. He does not want any unwanted demon seeing what he was hiding in his room, undignified of him as it may look. He asks the name of the intruder.

"My Lord, it is I, Alecto. I bring you news of what you sought for."  
Chloe clears her throat uncomfortably upon hearing how Lucifer was addressed. He looks at her.  
"I will be there shortly." He dismisses the servant. Maze looks at him in mild annoyance.  
"What?" He asks her.  
"Seriously? Of all demons? Alecto?" She says with an acidic tone.  
"What of it? He was the next best thing." He responds.  
"He's incompetent! And you knew very well he was onto _my_ position since his horns started to drill outwards his puny forehead!" She tells him so. He holds up a finger in front of him.  
"Not now, Maze. I have to go and tend to this first. He may have a lead on the rider. All of you stay put here and keep an eye on the Detective. I'll be quick about it."  
He looks to Chloe again shortly then he was gone and closing the huge door behind him.

"Is that how he was normally addressed here?" Chloe asks Maze. She wanted to laugh. She was treating him as normal as she could when they were at work. Domestic, if she can put it that way. But in here, he was a King, respected and feared. Yet, everybody in this room except Azrael has had the experience of a shouting competition with him.

* * *

Lucifer was not gone that long when Maze, Amenadiel, and Azrael notices Chloe's appearance. Azrael was having small talks with her when she was becoming somehow translucent. Azrael covered her mouth with her hand and called everybody's attention. They immediately gathered over her as if encircling her would somehow serve as a protection.

Chloe too notices that a portion of her hand, aside from being translucent, starts to slowly disappear. Maze decides to run outside to call Lucifer. However, when she was about to open the doors, Lucifer was already charging to it in a hurry. Maze was quick enough to step aside to avoid colliding with him. Alecto then follows closely behind him.

"Chloe!" Lucifer rushes towards her.  
"Oh no, no, no, no." He tries to grab her hand but it reached her arm already. Her other limbs were starting to do the same. He turns to face the rest of the occupant of the room.  
"Look there is no time to explain now, but I must get the Detective out of here." Everybody nods in agreement.  
"Alecto will open up a portal for us, I will fly the detective out first, the lot of you should immediately follow as to avoid hitchhikers escaping. Be quick about it too." He adds and again faces Chloe.

"Chloe," he stares in her eyes again, "I would like your permission to wear this." He says carefully, pointing at the ever-present ring on his right hand.  
Chloe, albeit confused, nods silently.  
"It's for you to be temporarily tethered to me as you are quickly to dissipate any moment now. I also need your absolute permission to be held to me for a while." He offers out his hand to her and she provides the other, remaining one, back at him.

When the ring was slipped to her thumb, as it was the only one that can fit the ring's size properly, her missing limb became whole again, though still translucent.

Lucifer turns again to Alecto and turns his palms at him. Alecto bows his head.  
"Alecto, I, your King, temporarily assigns you to look after my domain to command my subjects until I return." The demon then rises.  
"With my honour, my King, I will do as you ask of me." Alecto finally spoke.  
"Now, open the portal," Lucifer commanded, and he rushes out immediately to make the necessary preparations.

"Very, well then, shall we?" He addresses the rest of the group.  
He grabs Chloe and they headed towards the arranged portal. Amenadiel, Maze, and Azrael then followed.

"I will see you at the penthouse. Remember, be quick." Unfurling his wings, he then flew upwards carrying Chloe in both of his arms. Amenadiel follows, though staggering. Azrael with Maze was the last to leave.

The portal was then resealed by Alecto.

* * *

Hi guys, sorry took a while to upload. I halted writing the draft to study for my comprehensive exam. Anyways, I did not have the heart to split this into two chapters so you had about 9k of words here.

I usually respond to reviews thru PM but since there were guests who needed answers, guess I'll do it here.

Guest chapter 6. Jun 4

"Your first chapters were a little confusing and when did Lucifer have a kid he never had s*x with chloe"

~~ Um. hello there! It's kind of like this for the early chapters. A-B-A-B-A...

I structured the story in such a manner so that the two timelines would meet. The current one with Sam (with minor flashbacks to his early years) and the direct post S4 events where Chloe was trying to get to Hell and seek Lucifer. So yeah. As for the s*x thing... hahaha. whatever.

Guest chapter 6. Jun 4

"Could you please work on your spacing b/c it's hard to read. :-)"

~~Hello. I was just copy pasting the draft when I post. I have not tried yet the docs upload part. I will try to backlog on the formatting but not for now bc I have a manuscript deadline by the end of this month. If it helps, you can read this fic on ao3. I noticed the formatting does not change when I put it there.

Thanks all for reading!

The next chapter might take a while. I hope you enjoyed it!

On their thoughts:

Song for Chloe is Find by Shallou

Song for Lucifer is Wish You Were Here by Florence + the Machine


	8. For I Am Human, Only When with You

Chapter 07: **For I Am Human, Only When with You**

Chloe awoke with a gasp. Despite her heaving for air, she was quick to scan her surroundings. Panic suddenly struck her senses as she began focusing her eyes, blinking away the dimness of the room.

"No, no, no. No." She finds herself mumbling under her breath as she starts to stand from the bed, she was placed in. Not bothering to wear her shoes, she quickly runs towards the door. She wonders now if it suddenly became too windy in the room as she finds her vision watery.

It was quiet.  
Too quiet.  
It was too quiet that she starts hearing her heart wildly beating at her chest.  
Was she glad for this confirmation that she somehow made it back?

_No_. She again repeats. Holding back the tears. She wants to call his name. Even if silently. Yet, she can't find or even will her brain to form the words mentally.

Walking back inside the room, her hands in her face. She felt defeated now.

To go down there. To find him. Despite the unexpected events that they had encountered, she still found him. However, now, he is gone.

She sits by the foot of the bed, hands still covering her face with her elbows resting on her lap. She finally feels the unfamiliar object in right her thumb. Looking at it, at his ring, she finally fails to contain her sobbing.

She tries her best to lower it down but her tears started falling instead.

_Why?_ She asks but was too tired to look up.  
She takes off the ring and continues looking at the object.

"_Chloe!_ You're finally awa– !"  
Upon hearing her name, she jolts upward and homes her vision to the source.  
"Why, is your face wet?" Then a grin forms from his face.  
"Are you crying?" He asks her in a mixture of confusion and amusement.

First of all, spell embarrassed. AWKWARD

Second, though she would have wanted to wipe that twinkling amusement on his mug, she was actually kind of relieved.  
Third, she releases the breath she was unknowingly holding off since her name has been called.

Meeting him halfway, she somehow hesitates and looks down at his feet. "I, I thought…" Slowly lifting her eyes to his, she then exhales again.  
"I thought you left again."

Still a pace apart from her, Lucifer could not yet close the gap between them. To him, he sees a chasm that if he falls into whilst making his way to her, Chloe will be then forever lost to him. So, he clears his throat.  
"But of course, I have to wait for you to wake up. I would not want you having these theoretical questions forming in your head if you'd find me gone before having a chat." He makes a sprinkling gesture of imaginary word in his hands towards her head.

A wind picks up outside and brings the chilly evening air in the room through the open window. Chloe follows Lucifer as he moves towards it and gazes outside the city lights visible from her bedroom.

Still a moonless night.  
But the stars were trying their best to light the sky.

"How is everybody?" She inquires.  
"Well, they thought that you'd be hitting the snooze button for a week but it has only been about twenty-two hours, or so, since your _impromptu _tour downstairs." He responds while looking at a non-existent wristwatch by his right wrist and returns his gaze outside.

She smiles at his attempt and starts studying his appearance. He was dressed in a fresh dark blue suit now with a black dress shirt, black Italian shoes, and surprisingly, without a glass of bourbon or whiskey at hand.

Hearing no response from her, he turns his head back at her.  
"They were all worried about you. But _they_ are fine." He finally says. "The child is still over at Daniel's, but she had Maze to distract her from knowing about you." He points in her direction, indicating her state.

On the strategical point of view, in the event that some demons were able to follow them through the portal, Maze was placed with Trixie to act as her guard. His brother was back at Linda's for both of her and Charlie's protection. His sister, on duty and to provide intel on the borders. Daniel, also on duty while covering for Chloe's. Finally, him with her, both as her guard and to further observe her condition. They just had checked on each other a couple of hours ago, except for the Death Angel.

"Are you feeling better now, Detective?" He says with such gentleness that it has somehow become a whisper to her. That for a moment, she felt his vulnerability.

If she was, to be honest, like how she would have wanted it since there is something, she'd wanted to be discussed with him, she would prefer to say that she feels weird and heavy like she went drinking and doing a set of CrossFit at the same time from the night before. Drinking for her out of body experience. CrossFit for her physical form catching up on the pain from her marking.

"I am good." She finds herself answering though.  
"I feel better." She tries to amend.

There was a deafening silence between the two and Lucifer's stare at her became more focused. He clenches his jaws for a while until he can no longer contain it.

"This should have not happened to you." He stares at her eyes, looking defeated. Probably more than she was earlier.  
"Lucifer, look. Please do not blam-"  
"No Chloe." He interrupts her. "This is all on me."

He looks at her with such intensity that she sees his old self again being projected. The one part of him, where she took long to clearly see. That one part of him that cost her to be parted with him all those months ago. The part where she, no matter how human she is compared to him, would want to help him carry with. To help him, no matter how human she is, ease a millennia's worth of pain. Chloe would want so badly to not see that part of him anymore. She finds no strength in him being like that.

It makes her weak, too.

But she would want to be his strength at times like this. No matter how human she is.

She approaches him by the window and frames his face in between her smooth hands, firmly. Looking back at his eyes, trying also to emanate the same intensity that he has.  
"No. Don't do this to your yourself, please."

Lucifer holds her left hand and leans on it. Letting himself fall into her caress. He closes his eyes for a while and Chloe somehow felt contented that he willingly allowed to display himself to her in such a manner. To be vulnerable and more considerate of his feelings in front of her. At that moment, Chloe would want the time to stop for her to gaze at him like this for a little longer.

For once, she would want to be selfish and just stay like that forever. To be the person that he could rely on. She wants to be the very person that he could lean on. To be at ease and at peace.

Chloe had met him for about four years now and she was glad for all those years, the joy and the pain it bought her.  
But for Lucifer, _she_ has been missing from him since he flew over the clouds, until he was thrown below, and until he decided to walk among the humans on the Earth's very surface.

He opens his eyes and looks back at her.  
He inhales deeply.  
He has known it before and has said, but saying it this time felt heavier.  
"I love you, but this love of mine had your soul damned when it should be not…" he finds himself unable to continue as tears had started falling off his cheeks and onto her hands.

"I'm sorry."  
It deeply upsets Lucifer and he apologizes to her. He blames himself and it pains him so. He breaks off his gaze at her and tries to step back away from her.

Chloe pursues after him. She does want to be selfish, after all.

Moving along with him, she steps forward and maintains her hands firmly on his face.  
She then looks him in the eye and tells him, with the utmost sincerity and love that she would want to give back to him.  
"If…."  
"If you think that my soul was not supposed to be damned, which currently is, I would still accept it." There's no point in holding back now for her.  
"I would gladly accept it knowing that I did it to have you back." Her tears had started falling now, and with her resolve, she continues.

"That you know that I love you and will always be with you."

She proceeds to wipe the tears from his cheeks. However, when Lucifer heard those words forming from her mouth, he proceeds to move towards her and enclose her in a hug. And Chloe responds to equally. They break the hug and looked at each other's eye, both of which want to drown on the other. Still, with their respective hands on each other's faces and with the validation of their love from one another, they find themselves grateful.

Then themselves, engulfed in each other's kiss.

Unlike the one that they had by the beach, though they must admit, they liked that too. Unlike the ones that they had with their previous partners.

Passionate they may seem, but are not in a hurry. More of an assurance that they are certain of their feelings with each other.

It could be said that this is a love that defied a prophecy.  
But is still, a love so pure.  
All the reasons and machinations of whoever is/were involved, finally understood.  
Reason or motive, it does not matter anymore.  
It all made sense.

They will find each other.  
They were always meant to meet.

Unnoticed to the both of them, under the moonless night, with the star as their witness, a light materializes in the air and forms a curtain of dancing little stars of their own, engulfing the both of them from head to toe.

As they stop and open their eyes, the lights surrounding them which are still unnoticed slowly dissipates. They look at each other's eyes as if a new universe unveiled itself to them.

You are a _Miracle_.  
They both say to their own hearts.

* * *

**a/n**

Hi guys, sorry I took long.

Please enjoy this one.

This one too: Get you the moon by Kina (ft. Snow)

I have also back logged on the previous chapters and will reupload them.

YesIdontknowhowtowritekissscenesokay?

PS:

I was hoping to recover an old twitter account of mine but it was connected on my old email account (which I can no longer access), so I made a new one to also post updates there. If you guys are in twitter, you can check my account 13pisces_xy.

See you next chapter!


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